Forever Gone
by Love-Pink26
Summary: Sequel to ‘Through the Door’. A brutal ruler, a Prince on the run, a once beautiful land now turned dark. Aubrey and the Pevensies are called back to Narnia where they must restore what has been ruined with the help of some new friends. Rated M for safety
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So here it is. The sequel to 'Through the Door'! I hope you guys read it and like it. Please leave me a review at the end and tell me what you think! =)**

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It was a dark, starry night. Not many were still awake in the dark castle. Only one light was shinning and through it, many screams of pain and agony could be heard. The screams continued on until around midnight, when suddenly, a baby's cry could be heard, wailing somewhere in the castle. A tall man with dark hair and olive skin, with a sword strapped around his middle could be found rushing through the many corridors. He found his destination, a plain wooden oak door on his right, and pushed it open. Inside was a man of about the same age and looks, the only difference being the pointy beard on the front of his face. The man was standing at one of the tall windows against the opposite wall, staring at the stars above.

"Your wife, sir," said the first man. "She has given birth, to a boy." The second man sighed and continued to gaze at the stars.

"The heavens have blessed us," he said quietly, then turned around to face the second man. "You have your orders, General Glozelle." The second man nodded his head, a bit hesitantly, and then swept away from the room.

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Prince Caspian was sound asleep in his bed, having one of his many dreams about the Kings and Queens of Old. In this particular dream, he was ruling alongside them and fighting off their many enemies. He was shaken awake just as he was saying something to the beautiful Queen Susan. He looked up into the weary eyes of his long time tutor, Doctor Cornelius. Caspian rolled back over and muttered five more minutes, hoping for a little more sleep before his nightly lesson on the stars.

"You will not be studying the stars tonight, my Prince." He pulled on Caspians arm, urging him to get out of bed. Once up, Caspian stared at his confusedly. Doctor Cornelius said nothing as he dragged him toward his wardrobe, next to his bed. Doctor Cornelius pulled open the dark doors and pushed against the back wall, revealing a secret passageway that Caspian had used a number of times as a boy, and most recently as two nights ago, to sneak down to the kitchens.

"What is this all about?" Caspian asked, a little annoyed.

"Your Aunt," he said in a rushed voice, "Has given birth, to a son."

Caspian eyes widened in fear. He heard some shuffling outside of his door and rushed into the wardrobe. He quickly closed the doors behind himself, though not completely. He wanted to see what his Uncles men were up to. He watched as the General, one he had known his entire life, silently raised his hand, his men locked arrows into their crossbows and took aim at the bed Caspian had been sleeping in not just five minutes before. He watched in horror as General Glozelle gave the signal and about ten arrows rushed at his bed at top speed. The tore apart at the bed hangings and exploded feathers into the air on compact with his bed and pillows. Caspian was frozen in horror, surely his Uncle could not be behind this. He had taken care of Caspian since he was five and his father died.

He felt his arm being tugged on and looked down at the Professor. He had tears in his eyes, but he pulled Caspian along as shouts could be heard, ringing through the quiet castle.

Doctor Cornelius led Caspian out through the back where he had his horse, Destrier, waiting for him. On their way, they had stopped in the armory, loading Caspian up with a sword, dagger and crossbow.

Caspian pulled himself atop Destriers back. He looked down at his Professor and gripped his hand tightly, more shouts could be heard echoing down the small back ally. The Professor groped inside his pocket and pulled out a bundled package. Caspian stared at it.

"Be safe, my Prince," he told him quietly. "Ride hard and aim for the woods, they won't follow you there." Caspian nodded silently, at a loss for words, then stared at the package in the Professors hand. The professor quickly handed it to him. "Use this only in your greatest time of need." Caspian unwrapped the package and stared at the horn in his hand. It was beautiful, carved to look like the head of a lion. He stuffed it securely in his pocket and turned to face the Professor.

"Will I ever see you again?" He asked worriedly.

"I do hope so, there is so much more I wanted to teach you." Caspian solemnly nodded his head. He was about to kick off when a small voice reached his ears.

"Where are you going?"

Caspian and the Professor both turned to see a small girl standing just behind them. She was dressed plainly in a dark blue cotton dress and black riding cloak. Her red hair fell in light waves to her shoulder blades, her chocolate brown eyes, Caspians eyes, looked up at him, sparkling with sadness.

"Ali, I . . ." he began, but was cut off by Doctor Cornelius.

"Princess Alida, I must ask you to return to the castle."

Princess Alida stared at him, then turned her questioning gaze to her cousin. Shouts could still be heard, closer this time, and the Professor turned his head.

"Ali, I have to leave," Caspian told her sadly. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"It's because of _him_, isn't it," she asked forcefully, turning to glare at the dark castle above them. Caspian wasn't sure which him she was talking about, but nodded his head anyway. Ali set her jaw in her stubborn way.

"I'm coming with you," she said determinedly. He brown eyes flashed warningly, telling him he better not argue, but Caspian wasn't going down without a fight.

"No," he said. "Absolu—"

"My Prince," Doctor Cornelius whispered. "They are getting closer, you must hurry."

Caspian sighed. He didn't have time to sit here and argue with his cousin.

"You know just as well as I do that I have no place here," she sternly told him. "Now that they have a son, I will be cast aside, into the shadows, treated like the vermin they think I am. I will be much more useful at your side, helping you." She eyed the crossbow hanging from his shoulder. "I'm wicked with the crossbow, much better than yourself, I must say, and I can handle a sword pretty well. Please Caspian." She turned her big brown eyes on him and he knew she was right, about everything. Her parents had never truly loved her, she was supposed to have been a son. He didn't want to admit it, but she was more than decent at fighting. She could beat some of the nights twice her age. Ali smiled at him, knowing that she had won.

"Alright," he said, very unhappily. He reached down and pulled her onto the saddle behind them. She wrapped her small arms around his waist and leaned up against his back.

"You must hurry now," the Professor told them. "They are very close. Ride safely, young ones, and remember," he looked at Caspian, his eyes determined. "Ride to the woods." Doctor Cornelius slapped Destrier on the romp and he took off at a quick pace. Caspian urged him on. They were running through the courtyard of the castle, he could hear shouts to close the gates echoing from all around him. He pushed his horse, praying they would make it.

They burst through the gates and were now running at top speed over the bridge that linked the castle to the small town just outside of it. Criers could be heard, yelling through the streets, announcing the birth of the new Prince. Caspian gritted his teeth and rode on. Soon, they were running through the wide open lands between the town and the woods. At top speed, Destrier broke through the tree line. Caspian glanced back, over his cousins head, to see General Glozelle and his best men pursuing them. They paused at the tree line, but not for long. Soon they were after them again. Caspian weaved his way through the trees. They had reached the center of the forest now, but Caspian was almost positive Glozelle and his men were just behind them. He turned around to see where they were, his first mistake.

"Caspian!" Alida screeched. Caspian turned around, and was whacked in the head with a low hanging branch. His entire body slammed backward, knocking Alida from the saddle. His head exploded in white hot pain, his eyes loosing focus. When he regained his eyesight, he noticed he was no longer sitting atop Destrier, he was being dragged along the ground. Sticks, twigs and leaves stuck to all parts of him as he tried to free his leg. After a minute of kicking his foot, it finally slid free of the saddle. Destrier continued riding and Caspian laid on the ground, trying to shake away the pain. He jumped when he heard movement off to his right. He looked up to see two small men staring at him, one held a sword in his hand. Caspian looked around for his own sword and saw it lying just out of his reach, right next to it was the horn Doctor Cornelius had given him. The man, a dwarf Caspian guessed, stared at him in shock. Caspian edged toward his sword and the dwarf advanced on him. There were shouts from behind them and they both turned to see Glozelle and his men not far behind them. The dwarf looked once more at Caspian, then back at the other dwarf.

"Take care of him," he said and rushed off toward Glozelle and his men. In the moment of hesitation, Caspian pushed himself forward and grabbed the horn.

"No!" the dwarf yelled, running at him, but it was to late. Releasing all of the air in his lungs Caspian blew hard into the horn. The dwarf reached him and hit him over the head with the butt of his dagger. Caspian fell to the ground unconscious. As the dwarf was dragging him inside, Alida appeared from the trees. She gasped when she saw Caspian, and the dwarf turned his attention on her. He pointed his dagger at her and she raised her hands in surrender, she had no weapon to fight back with. The dwarf grabbed Caspians leg and dragged him towards the little house, all the time keeping his dagger pointed at Alida. When they reached the door, he roughly pushed her inside. There was a scrambling noise and a badger appeared in front of them. Alida stared at him, hardly believing her eyes.

"Oh, Nikabrik! What now?" He rushed forward to examine an unconscious Caspian. Alida just stared at the two of them. The Old Narnians, they were real! Two of them were standing and conversing right in front of her. So all of Caspians and Doctor Cornelius' stories had been true! Deep down, she knew she had always believed them, but her father had yelled at her and told her they were stories for babies and that she better grow up and start acting like a Princess. Of course, she had never told him of whom she had heard the stories, she had made up a quick lie, telling him she had found them in a book from the library that she couldn't remember the title of. This had satisfied her father and he sent her to her room. She felt terrible when, for the next few months, her father had ordered half of their servants to search through every book, finding the accused one that held all of the foolish stories. Alida, so wrapped up in her wonder and her memory, did not notice when the badger spoke to her.

"Miss!" he yelled, successfully tearing her from her thoughts. She stared at him. "Do you mind holding this young mans head while I bandage it?" Alida looked over at her cousin and noticed that he had been laid across a small bed. She silently nodded her head and walked over to them. The dwarf, Nikabrik, glared at her and left the room.

"Don't mind him," the badger told her. "He's always grumpy." Alida laughed and knelt down next to Caspian. She took his head in her hands, surprised at the weight, he really had a big head, and placed his head in her lap. She brushed aside his bangs so the badger could easily reach his wound.

The badger took out a cloth and began dabbing at the small cut on Caspians head.

"I'm Trufflehunter, by the way," he told her. She nodded her head, showing that she had heard, and continued to stare. Trufflehunter cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you have a name?" He asked her, she could hear laughter at the edge of his voice. She blushed and smiled at him.

"Alida," she said. Trufflehunter nodded his head.

"Princess Alida," he said softly. Alida stared at him in wonder, how did he know? He chuckled when he saw the confused expression on her pretty face.

"We have our spies too," was all he said. They sat in silence as Trufflehunter finished cleaning the wound. Once clean, Trufflehunter ripped up a cloth and began to wrap it around Caspians head. When he finished, Alida laid his head on the pillow and followed Trufflehunter into his kitchen. He motioned for her to sit on the stool to which she happily accepted.

"So what brings that young man and yourself this deep into the woods?" he asked her calmly. "I thought all you Telmarines feared them. He poured some hot tea into a mug large enough for her and offered it to her. She took the mug with a smile and sipped. It tasted wonderful, better than anything she ever had back at the castle.

"I certainly don't fear the woods," she told him. "Caspian and I as children loved exploring them." The badger stared at her. "As for what brings us here, well that is a long story." Her gaze dropped down to the wooden table, but before her eyes fell, Trufflehunter saw sadness in them.

"It seems we have some time," he told her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "And you'll find that I am an excellent listener." Trufflehunter smiled at her and she found herself smiling back. She began her tale, telling him all about her parents and Caspian and the birth of her baby brother and their fleeing the castle. Trufflehunter was, as he said, a very good listener. He never once interrupted her. By the time she had finished her story, Caspian had awoken. Alida and Trufflehunter sat in the kitchen in silence, both mulling over the events that had passed. Sometime toward the end of her story, Nikabrik had snuck back inside, still glaring daggers at her. He sat next to Trufflehunter at the table and pulled a bowl of fresh soup toward him. Alida shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze. She couldn't help but feel like Nikabrik was going to charge at her any second and rip her throat out with her hand. He pulled a piece of bread up to his mouth and bit into it.

"Breads stale." He said gruffly. Trufflehunter stood, a bowl of soup in hand, and walked toward the room Caspian was in.

"I'll bring him some soup," he said, looking at Alida. On his way to the room, he placed a bowl of soup in front of her. She smiled gratefully at him and swallowed it down quickly, not realizing just how hungry she was.

There was a commotion from behind her and she heard Trufflehunter yell out in surprise. Nikabrik jumped up from the table, dagger in hand, and ran at Caspian who had just emerged from the room. Caspian looked around frantically for something to defend himself with. He pulled a poker from the fireplace and blocked Nikabriks wild strikes.

"Caspian!" Alida hissed at him. He looked at her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her behind him. The stool she was sitting on fell over and rolled between her and Caspian. She huffed in indignation and quickly stood up. Caspian fell over the overturned stool and fell onto the steps.

"That's enough!" Trufflehunter yelled, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "Nikanrik, do I have to sit on your head again?" Alida giggled as the image of Trufflehunter sitting on a grumpy Nikabriks head entered her mind. "And you," Trufflehunter said, turning his attention to Caspian. "Look what you made me do." He bent down to pick up the spilled bowl of hot soup. Alida rushed forward and grabbed a towel off the kitchen table and bent down to wipe up the spilled soup. Trufflehunter smiled at her thankfully before he walked off into the kitchen to pour a new bowl. Caspian stared at her, not sure what to think, he was so confused. Nikabrik, well he just continued his glaring. He reluctantly returned to his previous seat and continued to sip on his soup. Trufflehunter walked back in a placed a new bowl of soup on the table. He looked at Caspian and gestured to the bowl. Alida picked up her fallen stool and sat back in it, glancing at Caspian. Slowly, he walked forward and took the seat next to his cousin. He sipped on the soup and, much like Alida did, finished it in one gulp.

"Thank you," he muttered to Trufflehunter. He nodded his head and sat down at the table across from the two Telmarines.

"You're welcome," he said. "Your cousin here was just explaining to me your story." Caspian glanced at Alida who quickly hid her face. "She says that you are on the run from your Uncle?"

"Yes, that is right." Caspian shared a glance with Alida and together they stood up from the table. Caspian started fastening his armor while Alida buckled her riding cloak around her neck.

"Where are you going?" Trufflehunter asked them shocked. Alida looked at Caspian.

"We thank you for your hospitality, kind Trufflehunter. But we must be off." She looked at him sadly.

"My Uncle will not rest until I am dead," said Caspian. Trufflehunter grabbed on to each of their hands.

"But surely, you can not go." He looked between them, worry clear in his eyes. "You are meant to save us," he said, looking Caspian directly in the face. Caspian stared back at him, not sure what to believe.

"I'm sorry," he said, and he truly sounded it. He grabbed Alida's arm and pulled her to the door. Trufflehunter ran back to the table and grabbed the horn.

"But surely you know what this is?" He held up the horn, Caspian and Alida turned to stare at him. Alida shrugged her shoulders.

"This is Queen Susan's magic horn," said Trufflehunter, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Alida stared at him, hardly believing her ears. Surely if all the Old Narnians were real, then the Kings and Queens of old must be too. She looked up at Caspian, but his face was unreadable. He sighed and turned around.

"I'm sorry, but we must go." He turned away and started walking off into the woods. Alida looked back at Trufflehunter, her eyes sorrowful. Without another word, she walked off and followed her cousins retreating back out into the morning sunshine.

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**A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to dompr4, my only reviewer. This one is for you! =)**

**Please read and review. **

**Oh and I forgot to do this for the first chapter: Disclaimer: I am NOT and NEVER WILL BE the real author of this wonderful series, C.S. Lewis. Anything you recognize belongs to him; anything you don't most likely belongs to me. **

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Lucy ran across the street as quickly as she could. She had to get to Susan and quick. She apologized to the man driving the car she had run in front of, its horn blaring. She spotted Susan standing at the newsstand and ran to her.

"Susan!" she yelled. "You have to come quick." Lucy grabbed Susan's wrist and dragged her back towards the train station. Seeing her sister's worried look, Susan ran as quickly as she could behind her.

They burst in through the doors of the main area and turned sharply to the right, rushing down the steps. As they got closer to the bottom and the train tracks, they could hear excited voices. They pushed their way through the crowd gathered on the bottom of the steps to see a group of kids fighting. Susan sighed, annoyed, when she recognized Peter in the middle, fighting three boys at once. She saw a flash of blonde and noticed, for the first time, Aubrey standing off to the edge of the group, trying to hold back another boy. Susan lurched forward as someone pushed against her and towards the center of the fight.

"Edmund!" she heard Lucy yell. She watched as her younger brother threw himself at two of the boys on Peter, knocking them to the ground. They scrambled forward and started aiming their punches at Edmund. She heard the group gasp and turned to see Aubrey holding her eye. When she looked up, Susan saw a red mark around her eye. Angrily, Aubrey rushed forward to the boy she had been holding back, who was currently pushing Peter towards the train tracks, and punched him hard in the face. The boy fell to the ground hard, clutching his face. Susan chuckled and silently congratulated her. Aubrey shook out her hand and turned to the others around her. But before she could do any more damage there was the sound of a shill whistle and two men in soldiers uniforms appeared, breaking up the fight. The crowd on the steps all scrambled away, pushing their way past Susan and Lucy. The soldiers left as quickly as they came and Susan and Lucy walked over to Peter, Edmund and Aubrey. Aubrey was helping Peter up from his spot on the ground. He took one look at her eye and scowled.

"I had it sorted," he said, looking at Aubrey and Edmund. Edmund rolled his eyes and walked over to a nearby empty bench. Aubrey huffed and rolled her eyes at Peter.

"A simple thanks would have been enough," she said and picked up her bag, following Edmund and sitting next to him on the bench. The other three followed silently behind them. Susan sat down next to Aubrey and Lucy settled herself on the end of the bench next to Susan. Peter stood in front of them between the bench and the train tracks and started pacing. Lucy followed him with sad eyes.

"What was it this time?" Susan asked irritated. Peter turned to face her.

"He bumped me," he said. Aubrey rolled her eyes. He may be her best friend, but lately he had been acting like a prat. He was always rude and acted as if he knew everything. All of them were getting sick of his sour attitude.

"So you hit him?" Lucy asked with disbelief.

"No," he said forcefully. "After he bumped me, he tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him." Susan and Aubrey rolled their eyes.

"Honestly Peter, is it that hard to just walk away?" Aubrey asked him exasperated. Peter turned to her, his expression softened a bit when he looked at her red and swelling eye, but he continued in the same hard voice he'd been using for the past couple of months.

"I'm sick of the way everyone is treating me, like I'm some kind of kid." Aubrey saw the hurt in his eyes and, forgetting her anger, rushed forward and enveloped Peter in a comforting hug.

"I hate to tell you, Pete. We are kids," said Edmund. Peter pulled out of the hug and stared at his brother.

"Well I wasn't always." Aubrey held his hand and squeezed it. "It's been a year. How long are we supposed to wait?" They sat there silently.

"Ouch!" Lucy suddenly yelled, standing up from her seat and staring at the bench. The others stared at her curiously.

"What is it Lu?" asked Aubrey.

"Something just pinched me," she said, pointing at the bench. Peter and Aubrey glanced at each other.

"Hey!" Susan screamed, jumping up from her seat. "Stop pushing!" She yelled at Edmund. Edmund stood up, outraged and glared at his sister.

"I'm not touching you!"

"What is that?" Aubrey asked worriedly. Lucy looked all of them over, her eyes wide.

"It feels like magic!" she said excitedly.

"Everyone hold hands!" Peter yelled as a train went speeding by. Aubrey, still holding onto Peter's hand, reached out and grabbed Susan's. Lucy grabbed and held tightly onto Susan and Edmund's hands. Aubrey gasped when, through the windows of the speeding train, flashes of a sunny beach could be seen. When the train disappeared, the five of them noticed they were standing in a cavern of sorts. Aubrey looked around curiously, still holding tightly onto Susan and Peters' hands. She felt Susan's hand pull out of her own and turned to see her and Lucy running towards the edge of the beach and into the water, along the way they were shedding off various pieces of the school clothes. Peter shared a look with Edmund and Aubrey before they too dashed off towards the girls. Aubrey ran into the water, it was so warm. She felt water splash on her back and turned to see a laughing Peter. She glared playfully at him before she began chasing him. She threw water at him, but he kept skillfully dodging it, Aubrey laughed each time. Out of the corner of her eye, Aubrey watched as Edmund picked up Lucy and threw her into the surf. During her moment of hesitation, she felt strong arms wrap themselves around her waist. She squealed in shock as Peter lifted her out of the water and, like Edmund had done to Lucy, threw her into an oncoming wave. Aubrey got completely drenched. Her strawberry blonde curls were now sticking to her face. She stood up and found Peter. Staring at him, she advanced on him slowly.

"Wait," he called, slowly backing away from her. "What are you . . . " he began but had to run as Aubrey began to chase him again, this time with much more vigor. Edmund, Lucy and Susan had stopped their splashing to watch Peter and Aubrey. Peter tried to run back to the beach, but Aubrey caught him just at the edge of the beach. She jumped at him just as he turned around to face her and together they toppled to the ground, Aubrey landing on top of him. Aubrey blushed when she realized just how close their faces were. Behind them, Edmund, Lucy and Susan continued their splashing. Neither of them moved, they just stared into the others eyes, crystal blue meeting bright green. Slowly, Peter reached his hand forward and gently touched Aubrey's swelling eye, he moved his hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. His face started to move forward and Aubrey's stomach did a kind of back flip. His lips were inches from her own when they heard Lucy squeal. They both jumped and Aubrey rolled onto the ground next to Peter. They sat up and stared at Lucy who was splashing at Susan. Peter cleared his throat awkwardly and stood up, walking towards Edmund who was staring at something. Aubrey could still feel the blush on her face. She stood up and still felt that curious sensation in the pit of her stomach. _What was that about?_ She asked herself.

"Where do you suppose we are?" she heard Edmund ask. Peter laughed a bit awkwardly.

"I would have thought that was obvious," he said.

"Well, I don't remember there being any ruins in Narnia." The others followed his gaze and saw the stone structure high above them that looked decades old and corroded. The five of them found a grassy pathway and followed it up and toward the structure.

At the top of the path, they found themselves at the base of the ruins. Aubrey looked around and noticed they were standing in a courtyard of sorts. She couldn't help but feel she had been here before. They were surrounded by apple trees and other types of shrubbery. The five of them split up and explored the area. Lucy walked towards one of the many apple trees and plucked off a bright red apple and bit into it. Aubrey was walking next to Susan when she bent down to examine something on the ground. She picked up a golden chess piece and held it up to Aubrey, her mouth open.

"Who do you suppose lived here?" Lucy asked them as she walked towards the two girls.

"I think we did." Susan said slowly as she looked at the others who had come to join them.

"Hey," said Edmund, pointing at the chess piece in Aubrey's hand. "That's mine." Aubrey handed it to him and he examined it.

"It can't be." Lucy said and ran in the direction of a couple of boulders in front of them.

"Lucy?" Peter called and the others follow after her. She ran to the boulders and pulled Susan to stand in front of one.

"Don't you see it?" she asked.

"See what?" asked Aubrey as she came to stand next to the small girl.

"Imagine walls," she said, pulling Edmund in front of another boulder. "There," she said, pointing to the areas next to them. "And columns," she said pointing to various places around the area. It was like a light bulb clicked in her head as Aubrey finally realized what this place was and why it seemed so familiar. Lucy went and stood next to Edmund in front of the last boulder.

"Yes," Aubrey said. She pulled Peter in front of the boulder next to Susan. They both avoided the others' eyes. Once they were all in place, Aubrey backed down and stood off to the side. "And imagine a glass roof," She said, pointing above them. Looks of realization dawned on the other three's faces.

"Cair Paravel." Peter whispered.

"Lets find the treasury," Edmund suddenly said. "Surely that's still intact." Together they left what had used to be the throne room. They walked until the found the wall that hid the door to their treasury. Edmund and Peter walked over to the wall and began to push it, revealing the door. Aubrey bent down and examined a piece of a wall.

"Catapults," she whispered to herself.

"What?" Peter asked. For the first time since the beach, Aubrey looked up into his eyes. There were tears shinning in her own.

"Catapults," she said a little louder. "This didn't happen by accident. Cair Paravel was attacked." They stood around in silence, mulling over this new piece of information. Peter walked over to the exposed door and began to break it down. Susan came over to Aubrey and placed an arm around her shoulders. Once Peter had the door open, he ripped a piece of his shirt off and wrapped it around a stick. He looked at them all.

"I don't suppose any of you has matches?"

"No," Edmund said, a bit hesitantly, searching for something in the bag strapped around his shoulder. "But this might help." He pulled out his brand new torch, a gift for his birthday. Peter took it, laughing at his brother.

"You might have mentioned that a bit sooner." They all chuckled and followed Peter down the steps and into the treasury. Inside they found four trunks lined right up next to each other. Edmund, Lucy and Susan rushed forward to their trunks and lifted them up. They rifled through their things. Peter walked over to a shield on the floor. Aubrey walked up behind him and watched as he blew the dust off the shield, revealing a gold lion.

"I was so tall." Aubrey looked over to Lucy and Susan. Lucy was holding a dress at lest five sizes to big for her.

"Well you were older then," Susan told her, smiling slightly. Out of her chest, Susan pulled out a simple purple dress her size from the earlier years they ruled Narnia. She laid it aside and continued to look through her trunk. She pulled out her bow and quiver of arrows, but then her brow furrowed in confusion.

"What is it?" Aubrey asked her.

"My horn," Susan said slowly. "It's missing. I must have left it on my saddle the day we were hunting the stag."

Peter slowly walked over to his own chest. He opened it and pulled out his sword. He unsheathed it and read the inscription,

"When Aslan bears his teeth, winter meets its death."

"And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." Aubrey said quietly.

"All of our friends," said Lucy, a sad look on her face. "The Beavers and Mr. Tumnus. They're all gone. Aren't they?" Susan rushed to her sister and wrapped her in a hug. No one knew what to say.

"I think it's time we found out what is going on," said Peter. They all nodded silently and continued to go through their trunks. Aubrey ran over to where her trunk sat, on the left of Peter's but further away. She rifled through her things until she pulled out a green dress from her first few years in Narnia. She held it up to herself and thanked Aslan that it still fit. She put it to the side and continued to rummage until she found her sword and magical chain mail, her gifts from Father Christmas. She looked over at the others and noticed they were distracted. She quickly slipped out of her school uniform and into her dress. She slid her hands over the material, she had forgotten how lovely all of the dresses felt. She found a small bag in her trunk and decided to put her chain mail into it. She wouldn't need it yet. She strapped her sword around her waist and went to join the others.

It wasn't long until everyone was changed and ready to go. They left the treasury and Peter and Edmund put the wall back in place, hiding the door.

"Where do we go now?" Susan asked. Peter thought it over.

"Let's head to the river. We can follow that until we find someone who can tell us what is going on." They all nodded their heads and followed Peter.

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They had been walking for half of the morning when they finally reached the river. But they weren't expecting to see a dwarf, bound and gagged being lifted into the air over the river by two men. Susan, acting on instinct, notched an arrow and aimed it at the boat. The arrow whizzed through the air and landed on the edge of the boat in between the men. They looked up at the five of them in shock.

"Drop him!" Susan yelled, another arrow already notched and aimed at the men. The two men looked at each other then one dropped the dwarf into the water. The other quickly bent down and picked up a crossbow, aiming it at Susan. Without hesitating, Susan let loose her arrow and it soared into the man's chest. He dropped the crossbow and fell into the water. The other man leaped from the boat and swan away. Susan notched a third arrow and took aim at the man swimming away but Aubrey placed her hand on Susan's arm. Susan looked at her and Aubrey shook her head. Susan lowered her bow and placed the arrow back inside her quiver. While Susan was shooting at the men, Peter had dove into the river to rescue the dwarf. He walked onto the shore with the dwarf in his arms and laid him on the ground. Edmund was not far behind him, he had jumped in to retrieve the boat. The others ran forward to meet them and Lucy dropped to her knees, cutting the ropes around his hands. The dwarf pulled down his gag and looked at Susan in annoyance.

"Drop him?" he said, "That's the best you could come up with?" Susan stared at him in disbelief.

"A simple thank you would suffice," she told him.

"They were doing a fine job of drowning me without your help," he said grumpily, untying his bound legs.

"Why were they trying to kill you?" Aubrey asked gently, kneeling down next to him.

"They're Telmarines," he said simply. "That's what they do."

"Telmarines?" Edmund said in a shocked voice. "In Narnia?"

"Where have you been for the last thirteen hundred years?" the dwarf asked with a chuckle. The five of them shared shocked looks.

"Thirteen hundred years?" Aubrey asked in disbelief.

"It's a bit of a long story," Lucy said with a small smile. Aubrey helped the young girl to her feet and they stood next to the others. The dwarf looked them all over and sighed.

"You have got to be joking," he said, rolling his eyes. "You're it? The Kings and Queens of old?"

"Well they are," Aubrey said while pointing to the other four. The dwarf continued to stare at them though. Peter stepped forward, holding out his hand.

"King Peter the Magnificent." The dwarf took his hand hesitantly and shook it. Still not believing them. Peter unsheathed his sword and examined it.

"You might be surprised," he told the dwarf.

"I'm not so sure you want to do that, boy," the dwarf warned him. Peter chuckled and threw his sword on the ground in front of the dwarf.

"Not me," he said, looking over at Edmund. "Him." Peter and the girls stepped back as Edmund unsheathed his sword and aimed it at the dwarf.

The dwarf gave a shaky laugh before trying to lift Peter's sword. He seemed to struggle with its weight and Edmund glanced at the others, smiling. When he looked away, the dwarf quickly swung the sword up and attacked. Edmund blocked his swing and the dwarf swung his sword again, hitting Edmund with the butt of the sword.

"Awww, are you alright?" the dwarf taunted. He tried swinging at Edmunds legs but he easily jumped over the attack. When he landed he swung his sword so quickly, Aubrey couldn't even follow it. She blinked and the dwarf's sword was on the ground at Edmunds feet and Edmund had his sword trained on the dwarf's neck. The dwarf stared back at him in shock.

"So maybe that horn worked after all," he whispered. Aubrey and Susan exchanged looks.

"What horn?" Susan asked. The dwarf looked at her.

"Your horn, my Queen. A Telmarine boy had it. He was being chased when we found him and before I was captured he blew the horn."

"Well that explains how we got here," said Aubrey.

"I don't think I understand," said Lucy, her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.

"Don't you remember what Father Christmas said to Susan when he gave her the horn?" Aubrey asked Lucy. Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

"Just something about Susan not having trouble being heard." They all chuckled.

"No, Lu. The other part," Aubrey said in between laughs.

"'When you put this horn to your lips then blow it, no matter where you are, help will come.'" Susan recited for them all.

"Who is this boy you talk of?" Peter asked.

"Well, when I was taken to the castle I kept hearing one name, Prince Caspian." The dwarf explained. "They are trying to find him."

"Well let's go find this Prince Caspian, then." Edmund said. He and Peter pushed the boat back into the water.

"What is your name?" Lucy asked the dwarf.

"Trumpkin, your majesty." He bowed to her which caused her to giggle. Trumpkin climbed into the boat followed by Susan and Edmund. Aubrey walked to the edge and Peter grabbed her hand to help her in. She felt her cheeks redden once again when he gripped her hand and quickly hid her face behind her curly hair. She settled next to Susan who gave her a knowing glance as Peter climbed into the boat. Edmund sat at the back with Lucy to steer the boat as Peter sat in the middle behind Susan and Aubrey so that he could paddle the oars. Once they were all settled, they set off down the river in search of Prince Caspian.

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**A/N: Please review. That's all I ask. **

**Hope this helps:**

**Caspian- 17**

**Peter- 16**

**Aubrey- 15**

**Susan- 15**

**Edmund- 13**

**Alida- 12**

**Lucy- 11**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry it's taken a while, but school has started once again. =(**

**I will do my best to update as quickly as possible, I'm hoping for a new one every week. Anyways . . . . . Enjoy! =D**

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After searching the forest for their horse, Caspian and Alida decided to continue their journey on foot.

"Cas," said Alida. "Where exactly are we going?" Caspian continued walking, glancing around at the woods surrounding them.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "As far away from here as possible."

"Well what about the Narnians?" She tripped slightly over the branches on the ground, but Caspian grabbed her and steadied her.

"I don't think there's anything we can do for them," he told her glumly.

"You know as well as I do that we can help them." She grabbed his arm and forced him to stop walking. He turned to face her.

"You're twelve," he told her sternly. "You don't know anything." He turned on his heel and continued walking. Alida stood still, tears welling in her eyes. She hastily wiped at them as Caspian walked back towards her.

"I'm sorry," he said, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm just scared, I mean, not even twelve hours ago I was almost murdered." She returned his hug.

"It's okay. I think we're both a little on edge right now," she said. She quickly glanced behind them, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Caspian followed her gaze and saw Trufflehunter and Nikabrik following them. They tried to conceal themselves but they were doing a terrible job. Caspian glanced at Alida and they shared a knowing smile. He took her hand and they continued walking. Alida glanced back every so often just to see Trufflehunter and Nikabrik quickly dash behind the nearest tree. Caspian sighed and turned around to face them.

"We can hear you," he said while rolling his eyes. Alida tried to stifle a giggle as the two Narnians appeared in front of them. Trufflehunter shared a look with Nikabrik, the later gave him an encouraging nod.

"We think you should at least wait for the Kings and Queens," Trufflehunter said. Caspian rolled his eyes again and continued walking, dragging Alida behind him.

"Fine!" Trufflehunter yelled to their retreating backs. "I just hope the others are as understanding as we are."

"On second thought," said Nikabrik, "maybe I'll come with you. I would love to see you explain yourself to the Minotaurs." He started following Caspian and Alida who had suddenly stopped. Caspian turned to face them, wonder apparent on his face.

"Minotaurs?" he asked. "They are real?"

"They're real and have the worst tempers anyone has ever seen," said Trufflehunter. Caspian looked at Alida and saw his feelings of amazement reflected on her face.

"What about the centaurs?" Alida asked excitedly.

"They will probably fight on your side," Trufflehunter told them. "But I can't promise anything for the others."

"What about Aslan?" asked Caspian. Trufflehunter and Nikabrik looked at him suspiciously.

"How do you know so much about us?" Nikabrik asked menacingly.

"Stories," said Caspian.

"Your father told you stories about us?" Trufflehunter asked, obviously shocked. Alida chuckled at the look on his furry face.

"Not my father," said Caspian, "My professor. Listen, I'm sorry but we can't help you." Caspian made to turn and leave but froze when he saw the look on Trufflehunters face. He sniffed the air and looked worriedly at Nikabrik.

"What is it?" asked Nikabrik, pulling out his sword.

"Humans," said Trufflehunter.

"Them?" Nikabrik pointed and Caspian and Alida.

"No," said Trufflehunter looking behind them. "Them!" he said. Caspian looked up and saw a group of Telmarine soldiers approaching them from behind. He grabbed Alida and placed her protectively behind himself.

"There!" yelled one of the soldiers, pointing to them. They raised their crossbows and notched the first round of arrows.

"Run!" Caspian yelled, pulling on Alida's hand. Together they ran deeper into the forest with arrows whizzing past their heads. There was a muffled groan from behind them and Caspian turned to see Trufflehunter lying on the ground, an arrow sticking out from his backside. He looked at Alida and told her to keep running, then he ran back to help Trufflehunter up. Alida stood there, staring in horror at the fast approaching men.

Caspian bent down and examined Trufflehunter.

"Take it and go," said Trufflehunter, handing Caspian the horn the Professor had given him. Caspian stared at it briefly before stuffing it into his pocket. Caspian glanced up at the men only a few feet in front of him. One of them took aim, right at Caspian, and all he could do was stare in horror. But before the man had the chance to shoot him, there was a rustling in the underbrush and the man fell face first into the ground. Caspian cocked his head in confusion. The men before them stopped shooting and looked around the ground, aiming their crossbows into the greenery. Caspian quickly snapped out of his shock, hoisted Trufflehunter over his shoulder and ran full speed, or as fast as one can run with a badger on their back, towards the frozen Alida. Without a moments hesitation he grabbed her small hand and pulled her along with himself. They caught up to Nikabrik and Caspian laid Trufflehunter on the ground.

"Stay hidden," he told them all as he unsheathed his sword.

"Where are you going?" Alida grabbed his hand and he turned to look at her. Worry was clear on her face and she had unshed tears shinning in her eyes. Caspian bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. He pulled his hand out from her grasp and silently walked back towards the men pursuing them.

Alida ran to the nearest tree, a tall, wide oak, and hid behind it. She watched as Caspian approached the men, who paid him no attention as they were falling down one by one. She watched in horror as not one of them got back up again.

Caspian raised his sword as he watched the last man standing slash wildly at the underbrush. There was a sharp _swish _and the man fell to the ground, never to get back up. Caspian's eyes widened as he saw the underbrush moving slightly as something made its way towards him. He held up his sword, but before he could react, a small mouse jumped onto his chest. He fell with surprise on his back and his sword fell from his had as the small mouse raised his sword to his neck.

"Any last words, Telmarine." The mouse said menacingly.

"You are a mouse," said Caspian, his eyes wide. The mouse sighed, but kept his blade trained on Caspian's throat.

"Like I haven't heard that one before," he said. "Well go ahead, pick up your sword." Caspian glanced briefly at the sword laying just next to his hand but he turned his attention back to the mouse.

"Uh, I don't think so," he said a little hesitantly.

"Pick it up," the mouse demanded. "I will not fight an unarmed man."

"Which is why I will live longer if I do not fight you, Noble Mouse," he said. The mouse glared at him and inched his sword closer to Caspian's throat.

"I never said anything about letting you live, just that I wouldn't fight you." And to prove his point, he placed the tip of his sharp, might I add, sword to the skin on Caspian's throat. Caspian gulped nervously.

"Wait!" yelled a shill voice from behind them. Both Caspian and the Mouse glanced behind them to see Alida running to them with Nikabrik holding up a wounded Trufflehunter behind her.

"Reepicheep," said Trufflehunter in his firm yet calming voice. "Stay your blade."

"Trufflehunter?" said Reepicheep. He sighed and looked once more at Caspian before sheathing his sword and turning his attention back to Trufflehunter. "I hope you have a reasonable explanation for this interruption." Heaving and out of breath, Nikabrik, Trufflehunter and Alida reached the two of them. Alida helped Caspian to his feet then charged at him with a fierce hug, one he gladly returned.

"He doesn't," said Nikabrik. "You should kill him." Trufflehunter lightly hit Nikabrik on the head, causing the grumpy dwarf to wince and scowl at the badger while rubbing his head.

"He's the one that blew the horn," said Trufflehunter, pointing at Caspian. Reepicheep stared dumbly at Caspian who was still holding tightly onto Alida.

"What?" he asked with disbelief.

"Then let him bring it forward," said a regal voice to their left. They turned to see a group of five Centaurs, each had metal breastplates on their human chests and a sword dangling from their back. Alida stared, open mouthed, at them. Suddenly there was a rustling noise from the woods surrounding them and groups of all kinds of Old Narnians appeared in the trees. There were Centaurs, more dwarves, fauns, Minotaurs and so many more. Alida turned around in a circle to catch a glimpse of them all.

"For that is the reason we have all gathered," said the same Centaur, gesturing at the crowd in the woods. Caspian walked into the small clearing so that they could all see him. Slowly reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the horn, the one Trufflehunter had said belonged to the Gentle Queen. He raised it into the air for them all to see and there was a collective gasp, along with murmurings and angry shouting.

"All that horn proves is that those rotten Telmarines sole yet another thing from us," yelled Nikabrik. Alida, who was standing next to him glared daggers at him. All he had been doing since first meeting them was trying to get Caspian killed. At his words, there was more murmuring echoing around the clearing. Most agreed with Nikabrik, but there were some, Trufflehunter and the centaur who had first spoken, who didn't or who weren't sure.

"But I didn't steal anything," Caspian said, glancing around at the gathered Narnians.

"Didn't steal anything?" yelled an outraged Minotaur. "Shall we list the things you Telmarines have taken from us!"

"Our homes," yelled a faun right at the edge where the clearing met the forest.

"Our lives," yelled another Centaur, this one female.

"Our freedom," yelled someone deep in the forest.

"So you will hold me accountable for all the crimes of my people, crimes I personally have not committed?" Caspian asked them angrily. He was being accused of things he'd never done.

"Accountable," said Nikabrik advancing towards Caspian. "And punishable." Alida scoffed indignantly.

"Oh that's rich," she yelled while rolling her eyes. Everyone turned their attention from Caspian to stare at small, red headed girl. "If he is punishable then so are you!" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Nikabrik. "Or have you forgotten that it was your people who stood behind the White Witch." The group mumbled their consent. Nikabrik turned and looked her hard in the eyes.

"And I would gladly do it again if it would rid us of you barbarians." Alida had frustrated tears in her eyes, her mouth opened and closed with words that would not form.

"Then we are lucky you don't have that power," said Trufflehunter calmly. He walked forward and grasped Alida's hand in his furry paw. She smiled down at him then turned to glare at Nikabrik once more. Before focusing her attention back on her cousin, she stuck he tongue out at Nikabrik in a childish way. Trufflehunter walked slowly towards the clearing.

"You all may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well that Narnia was never right unless it was ruled by a Son of Adam."

"You want him to be king?" asked Nikabrik. Disbelief was clear on his face. No one said a word against Trufflehunter. "But he's a Telmarine!"

Caspian's face brightened as an idea came to his mind.

"I can help you," he said. Alida stared at him in confusion. Just a few moments ago he was saying how he could not help them and that he and herself needed to get away from here. "Beyond these woods I am a prince, robbed of my throne." He turned in a wide circle, making eye contact with everyone who had gathered. "Help me re-claim it and I will give you your lands back. I can bring peace between us." Alida smiled proudly at her cousin. At that moment, a centaur walked forward.

"He speaks wisely," he addressed the crowd. "The time is right. I have watched the skies, for it is mine to watch, as it is yours to remember, badger. The Lord of Victory, Tarva, and the Lady of Peace, Alambil, have met and now, a Son of Adam has come forth to give us back out freedom."

"Is it possible?" asked a small squirrel on the tree branch next to Alida's head. "Is there really a chance for peace? Is there?" Alida chuckled at his chipper attitude.

"Two days ago, I didn't know of the existence of talking animals or dwarves or centaurs, yet here you are, and in numbers greater than we Telmarines believed." Caspian held up Queen Susan's horn. "I do not know if this horn is truly magical, but it has brought us together. And only together, do we have a chance of taking back what is truly ours." The Narnians nodded their heads in agreement. Alida looked around with happiness, it looked like all, minus Nikabrik, were ready to follow Caspian.

The centaur looked around at his family, they all nodded their heads. He turned back to Caspian and unsheathed his sword. His family followed his lead and together, they raised them high into the air.

"If you are willing to lead us, then my sons and I offer up our swords," he said. Everyone around unsheathed their swords and followed the centaurs lead. Reepicheep walked up next to Caspian, followed by a band of his men.

"And we offer you our lives," he said dipping into a graceful bow. Caspian smiled out at the crowd. When he turned to Alida, she could see excitement shinning in his eyes. Trufflehunter walked into the clearing and stood next to Caspian. The others followed his lead and soon the Narnians were surrounding Caspian and Alida.

"The army will not be far behind, sire," he said. Alida giggled when he called Caspian sire. Caspian glared playfully at her for a moment before turning back and addressing the crowd.

"We must hurry to find weapons and soldiers if we are to be ready for them. We need somewhere we can gather everyone and prepare our troops." He looked around for ideas, but everyone was silent. Finally Alida's face brightened.

"The How," she said, looking at Caspian. "We could go there. It is perfect. It can fit all of us and more and as long as we station a lookout on each side of it, Father will not be able to sneak up on us." Caspian smiled at her proudly.

"Ok, the How it is. Alida, I want you to lead a team to the How and wait for me there. I will take a few of you to gather supplies." A murmuring of agreement went through the crowd. Caspian walked one way with Reepicheep and his band of mice, the centaur Glenstorm, a few fauns and a giant. Alida went the opposite way towards the How to set up camp.

* * *

It was dark by the time Caspian and his band of Narnians reached the edge of the Beruna river where his uncles troops were sleeping. The sky above twinkled with thousands of stars and the moon was shining clearly, lighting the way to the weapons wagon. A soft melody was being played as Caspian quietly walked through the camp towards the wagon. He nodded to the faun playing the music and motioned for the others to follow him. He cautiously stepped over the two guards slumped over in a deep sleep. They pulled down the hatch and emptied the wagon, loading all kinds of weapons into everyone's arms. When they finished, Caspian placed the hatch back in place and looked at the smooth wood. With a malicious smile on his face, he pulled out his dagger and began to carve into the wood. When he pulled back, the words were illuminated clearly by the moon. He smirked and led his troop back into the woods and towards the How. Behind them, shinning clearly for the men to see were the words:

_You were right to fear the woods_

_X_

Caspian felt sure his uncle would understand.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it!**

**I also want to thank everyone who has put this story on their favorites list. That makes me so happy, but do you think you guys could drop a review too? That would mean the world to me! =)**


	4. Chapter 4

They had been gliding gently down the river for most of the day now. The sun was beginning to make its decent and Aubrey guessed it was about half past two in the afternoon. Lucy was staring at the trees surrounding them, a frown on her face.

"They're so still," she whispered quietly. Aubrey looked around and noticed that the trees weren't moving as they once used to. Trumpkin followed Lucy's eyes and stared at the trees. Aubrey saw a look of pity and yearning pass through the grumpy dwarfs eyes.

"The trees?" he asked. Lucy nodded her head, glancing from the trees to his face and back again. "Well what did you expect?"

"They used to dance," she whispered once more, as if she were afraid to wake them. Edmund glanced at his little sister and grabbed her hand with his free one. Aubrey could see the tears of sadness in Lucy's eyes and she felt her own forming.

"It wasn't that long after you lot left that the Telmarines invaded," he began explaining to them. "The Narnians that survived fled to the woods, and the trees, well they retreated so deeply into themselves that no one has heard from them since."

"I don't understand," said Aubrey. She glanced around at the others and could tell they were thinking the same thing she was. "How could Aslan have let this happen?"

"Aslan?" Trumpkin asked with disbelief, a small, uncertain smile on his face. "Thought he abandoned us when you lot did."

"We didn't mean it, you know. To leave," said Edmund. Aubrey felt Peter's back tighten behind her. She turned to glance at him and noticed the anger in his eyes. She decided to talk to him later about it.

"Not like it matters now," said Trumpkin.

"Get us to the Narnians, and it will," said Peter. He said this through clenched teeth, but Aubrey couldn't tell if it was from the strain of the oars or from the anger she just saw.

After another hour of rowing, they finally reached the shore. Peter and Edmund with some help from Susan and Aubrey pulled the boat onto the pebbly sand. Lucy walked forward to survey the area.

"Hello there," Aubrey heard Lucy's tinkling voice call. She turned to see the young girl approaching a bear. The bear turned his attention to Lucy and let a low growl slip through his throat.

"It's alright, were friends," Lucy said, holding out her hand. She had a smile on her face as she approached the bear. Suddenly Aubrey was struck with fear.

"Lucy!" she yelled. The small girl turned her head, smiling to look at Aubrey. She could tell that Lucy found no problem in the situation. Aubrey's yell brought the others' attention to Lucy. Just as Lucy turned her attention back to the bear, it started charging at her. Lucy's body froze in fear and all she could do was stare at the animal, a hungry look on his furry face.

"Run!" Peter yelled to her as he dashed back to the boat to grab his sword. Aubrey stood frozen in fear. Susan, acting quickly, notched one of her arrows to her bowstring as Lucy finally regained control of her legs and ran back to them. Halfway there, she tripped on the pebbles and fell to the ground.

"Shoot Susan!" Aubrey yelled as Edmund and Peter ran toward the fallen Lucy. The bear had reached her and was on his hind legs, ready to strike. With a loud umph, the bear fell to the ground on his back, dead. A large brown arrow lodged in his heart. Aubrey turned to look at Susan and saw a shocked look on her face, her arrow was still notched. Peter reached Lucy first and pulled her into a tight hug, one she returned eagerly. Aubrey and Susan joined the others gathered around Lucy. Susan stared at the bear.

"Why wouldn't he stop?" She asked, her voice shaky. Aubrey placed her hand in her friends and squeezed it tightly.

"I suppose he was hungry," said Trumpkin while pulling his arrow from the beasts' chest. Lucy looked up at him gratefully.

"He was wild?" asked Edmund in disbelief.

"I don't think he could talk at all," said Peter, he had his sword pointed at the bear with one hand in case it wasn't really dead, the other was wrapped securely around Lucy's waist. He pulled her up from the ground and stood next to Aubrey.

"Yeah, well, you get treated like a dumb animal long enough, you become one," explained Trumpkin. He pulled a small dagger from his side and approached the bear. "You might find Narnia a more savage place than you remember," he said and cut at the bear. Lucy and the girls turned their heads away.

* * *

They walked on foot for the rest of the day through the forest with Peter leading him. Ever since the attack on Lucy, he had been rather moody. Aubrey tried approaching him many times to talk, but he always brushed her off. She got annoyed at him, called him an insufferable know-it-all, and walked off in a huff to join Susan. When she approached her friend, Susan gave her a look to which Aubrey stuck her tongue out at.

"I don't remember this way," Susan said after a while of walking. They had approached a crevice between chalky white cliffs, none of which the others remembered.

"That's the problem with girls," Peter called behind himself. "Can't carry a map in their heads." Aubrey glared at the back of his head.

"That's because there's something in ours," she said cheekily, causing Susan and Lucy to chuckle. She even got a smile out of Edmund.

"I wish we would listen to the DLF," Susan said glancing at Lucy at their little joke. The younger girl tried to hide her smile, but failed miserably.

"DLF?" Edmund asked, confused. Susan and Lucy glanced at each other mischievously.

"Dear Little Friend," Lucy said while glancing at Trumpkin. They all laughed, including Peter, at the look on the dwarfs face. They reached the end of the crevice and were met with a solid white wall rising fifty feet into the air above them. Peter stopped right at its base and inspected every square inch of it.

"I'm not lost," he said out loud, but more to himself.

"No," said Trumpkin sarcastically. "You're just going the wrong way." Aubrey had to stifle her giggle, but Peter heard and glared at her. He turned his attention from her to Trumpkin.

"You said you last saw Prince Caspian in the Shuddering Wood, and the quickest way there is through the river rush."

"But, unless I'm mistaken, there is no crossing in these parts of the wood."

"That's it then," said Peter through clenched teeth. "You're mistaken." Peter and Trumpkin seemed to be having a glaring war. Annoyed, Aubrey stepped in between them.

"Look, lets just calm down and think this through." She turned to face Trumpkin, "Does the river run anywhere through these parts?" Trumpkin thought it over for a few minutes.

"I believe there is. If you turn down that path we just passed back there, it should lead us straight to the river." He pointed back to a small, dirt covered path behind them.

"See," she said looking at Peter, "We just missed the path, no big deal. Can we go now?" Trumpkin nodded and led the way down the path. Edmund followed right behind him and the girls quickly followed them. Peter and Aubrey were the last to leave. Aubrey glanced at him as they walked side-by-side behind the others.

'What is the matter with you?" she asked after moments of silence. "You've been acting strange since we arrived." Peter sighed and his face softened.

"I'm just stressed out and worried is all," he said quietly. Aubrey nodded her head in understanding, they were all worried. She reached her hand out and grabbed Peter's, feeling that familiar spark run through her hand. She glanced up at him and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar look in his eyes. She couldn't help but think she had seen it before. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"Peter," Susan called from up ahead. They had all stopped and were staring down at something below them. Peter glanced back at Aubrey and dropped her hand. She followed him to where the others were gathered.

They were standing on a large cliff. Aubrey looked down and could see the river running below them, at least one hundred feet below.

"Found the river," she muttered. Everyone looked around gloomily. There was nowhere to cross, the quickest way would be to go down and back up, but no one wanted to take that fall. Peter glanced down again and sighed.

"Over the hundreds of years, the water eroded the earth's soil and . . . "

"Shut up," Peter told Susan, annoyed. Susan and Aubrey glared at him but he ignored them to stare down to the river. "Is there any way down?"

"Yeah, falling," said Aubrey. Peter ignored her. Trumpkin sighed.

"There's a ford at Beruna, if you don't mind swimming," he told them.

"Anything's better than walking," said Edmund as he leaned up against a tree. Aubrey giggled, she knew Edmund hated walking places. He preferred to ride a horse. Trumpkin turned and started to lead them down the path. Susan, grabbing onto Peter's arm followed right behind him. Edmund and Aubrey started to turn away when Lucy's voice caught their attention.

"Aslan?" she asked. "It's Aslan!" she yelled excitedly. Aubrey turned towards her voice as the little girl turned to look at them. "It's Aslan, over there," she pointed her small finger across the cliff to the other side. Aubrey could never remember a time when Lucy looked so happy, well except for the first time she had discovered Narnia. "Can't you see him?" she asked them all. At this point, Peter, Susan and Trumpkin had ambled up to them once again. They all stared across at the spot Lucy was pointing at, but saw nothing. Peter and Susan stared at her curiously and Edmund continued to stare at the spot, hoping to see Aslan. Lucy gave them all questioning looks, wondering why they were as excited as she was. "He's right . . . " But when she turned around, he wasn't there. Aubrey watched as the smile slid from her face. She felt her heart break at the young girls shattered happiness. " . . . there," she whispered sadly to herself.

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked with a hint of sarcasm. Lucy turned to stare at him.

"I'm not crazy, he was there," she told him. "He wanted us to follow him," she said, looking at the others.

"Lu, there must be a handful of lions in the woods, just like that bear," Peter told her gently.

"I think I know Aslan when I see him," she told him roughly.

"Listen here, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist," said Trumpkin. He folded his arms across his chest, refusing to move. He looked like a five year old throwing a mild tantrum.

"Up until a few hours ago," Aubrey said to him, "You didn't think we existed either." Trumpkin glared at her.

"That's besides the point," he said and took off down the path.

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid," said Edmund. Peter looked again across the cliff.

"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" he asked.

"Maybe you weren't looking," said Lucy. Peter sighed then turned back to her.

"I'm sorry Lu," he said, then followed Trumpkin back up the path. Susan smiled apologetically at her sister then followed Peter. After a few minutes hesitation, Edmund shrugged his shoulders, sensing a lost battle and followed his big brother and sister. Aubrey and Lucy continued to stare at the spot across the cliff.

"You believe me, don't you?" Lucy asked her. Aubrey smiled and put an arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"I do, but for now we must follow the others," she led the girl away from the cliff's edge and down the well worn path behind the others. "It won't do well for anyone if we split up."

* * *

When they reached the ford at Bernuna, they were met with a not-so-pleasant surprise. They sucked behind a pile of wood to survey the scene in front of them. Hundreds of men were busy at work building a large bridge across the river. They ducked down as a group of men walked past their hiding spot.

"I don't think this was the best way after all," Susan whispered to them. Peter rolled his eyes at her and motioned for the others to follow him. The quietly crept away from the river and only once they were deep in the woods did they feel it was safe to talk again. Peter started pacing back and forth, whispering to himself.

"We need to go back to the cliff," Aubrey told him. Peter shook his head.

"No, no. There must be another way across," he said. Aubrey placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"You know there is no other way. Lucy was right and we should have listened to her."

"I know these woods like the back of my hand, okay?" Peter yelled at her. Aubrey's face turned red in anger. "It's too dangerous at that cliff, there has to be another way."

"You are an insufferable fool!" Aubrey yelled at him. "When are you going to get it through your head that you can't always be right? I think you have proved that enough in the past," she glared at him knowingly and walked away. She grabbed Lucy's hand and together, the two girls walked back to the cliff.

"Nice going," Susan whispered as she walked past her brother. Trumpkin looked at Peter one more time before following the girls. Edmund walked up to his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder. Peter just stared in shock at the place Aubrey had been standing.

* * *

Once they were all gathered at the cliff, Peter approached Lucy hesitantly, avoiding Aubrey's eyes. Since he wouldn't look at her, she chose to stand there and glare daggers at the back of his head.

"Where do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked her. She glared at him lightly and pointed across the cliff at the same spot she had seen the great lion standing at earlier.

"I didn't think I saw him, I did see him," she said. She inched closer to the edge to get a better view across.

"He was standing right, ahhhhh!" As she neared the edge of the cliff, the grass under her feet gave way and she fell.

"LUCY!" They all shouted, rushing forward. They reached the edge and looked down to see Lucy standing safely on a ledge below them. She looked up at them, a bright smile on her face.

"I do believe Lucy just found the way across," said Susan. They all glanced at each other and followed Lucy down the edge of the cliff. They hiked down the cliff for the rest of the day. When they reached the bottom, they decided the better get some rest for the next day. They found a cozy clearing just far enough from the river that was dry enough to sleep on. Edmund and Trumpkin walked into the woods to find sticks to burn as Susan and Lucy make a makeshift fire pit. Aubrey settled herself on the floor and un-strapped her sword from her side. She laid it next to her in the grass and stared out into the forest. All she could think about were Trumpkins' words from the river. Narnia had indeed changed and Aubrey could not tell if it was for the better. After the incident with Lucy and the bear, she couldn't help but be mad at Aslan for leaving. But if she were mad at Aslan, she would have to be mad at herself, for she left also. Aubrey brought her knees up to her chest and tucked her head into her folded arms.

"Rough day?" asked a voice from behind her. She looked up into Peter's crystal blue eyes.

"A bit," she said and patted the ground next to her. Peter sat himself down. They sat in silence for a while, staring out into the very different woods.

"I'm sorry," Peter whispered to her. "It's just, it's hard for me to be back. But I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you." He sighed. Aubrey laid her head down on his shoulder and he rested his against hers.

"I'm sorry too," she said. "But you know, you're not the only one. It hurts me to be back too. Who knows how long it will last this time." Peter brought his hands up and wrapped them around her. They sat like that for a long time, only lying down once the stars began to pop out. They fell asleep next to each other.

When Aubrey awoke the next morning, she felt oddly comfortable for having slept on the cold, hard ground. She opened her eyes and saw Peter next to her. She looked down at her waist and saw Peter's arms wrapped around her. Her stomach seemed to take flight with a hundred butterflies but she just snuggled in closer to him. She watched as a small smile began to form on his lips. She laid her face down in front of his and studied him, the way all of his freckles seemed to dance across his nose, the way his slightly long, golden blonde hair hung just to his eyes now. Slowly, his eyes began to open. He smiled when he saw her brightly shinning green eyes.

"Morning," he said, his voice husky with sleep. Aubrey felt a shiver run down her spin.

"Morning," she whispered gently. She felt that same sensation from the beach, the one with her stomach doing back flips, as they continued to stare at each other. Peter un-snaked one of his arms from around her body and raised it to gently wipe away a strand of hair falling into her face. Once again, they began to inch towards one another.

CRUNCH!

They both sat up quickly, looking around for the source of the noise. Aubrey saw a flash of blonde through the trees and gestured it to Peter. They both looked down and noticed that Lucy was missing. They stood up and Aubrey began to follow the path that she saw Lucy disappear onto. While following her, Peter gently shook Susan awake. He quickly told her to wake Edmund and Trumpkin and to put out the fire. Then he followed Aubrey down the path.

Aubrey was about to turn as the path did when she felt someone grab her hand. She stumbled a bit and fell into Peter's chest. She looked up at him and he raised a finger to his lips, telling her to be silent. They looked out to where Aubrey had been walking and saw a Minotaur a few feet away. Aubrey released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Once the Minotaur disappeared again, they followed the path. Aubrey looked down and noticed they were still holding hands. Her cheeks reddened, but she liked the feeling. Aubrey heard a rustling of leaves up ahead and saw the hem of Lucy's dress disappear up a small slope. She pointed it out to Peter who took the lead and followed his sister. Aubrey looked over and saw the same Minotaur making its way closer to where Lucy and Peter were.

"Aslan?" she heard Lucy's voice ask from up above. She raced up the slope and saw Peter had grabbed Lucy, his hand was over her mouth to stifle any sound she would have made. Once he knew she wouldn't scream, he released her and pushed her towards Aubrey. When Lucy got to her, Aubrey wrapped her arms around the small girl in a hug, happy that she was safe. They looked back up and saw that Peter had his sword unsheathed. Aubrey reached down to grab her own and cursed. She had left it back at the camp site. Peter slowly inched himself forward and advanced on the Minotaur. As he was about to strike, Aubrey saw someone fly between the Minotaur and Peter and block his attack. They fought for a while before the man disarmed Peter. Aubrey felt her heart race as she saw the man lunge to strike.

"NO!" she yelled. She ran forward with Lucy just behind her. The man and Peter both froze mid strike. Slowly, from all around them, Narnians began to emerge from the woods. Aubrey slammed herself into Peter and hugged him fiercely. There were tears brimming in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, he was okay. She stepped away as Peter looked at her curiously, but kept her hand clenched tightly in his. They looked around at the Narnians as realization dawned on them.

"Prince Caspian?" Peter asked a bit hesitantly. Aubrey stared at the man, well boy actually. He was so young.

"Yes," he said. Aubrey could hear his thick accent. "And who are you?"

"Peter!" Susan yelled. She, along with Trumpkin and Edmund had reached the spot where they were standing. Caspian turned when he heard her voice. Aubrey smiled evilly when she saw the look he was giving Susan. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Susan blushed under the intensity of his gaze and looked away blushing. Like breaking out of a trance, Caspian shook his head slightly and looked down at the sword in his hand.

"High King Peter?"

"Yes. I believe you called," he said cheekily. Aubrey rolled her eyes, she didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Well, yes, but I thought you would be older," he said looking at each of them in turn. Once again, when he looked at Susan, his eyes seemed to linger a bit longer.

"Well we could come back in a few years if you'd like," Peter said and he turned to walk away. Aubrey pinched his arm lightly and gave him a 'be nice' look.

"No! No, please stay. It's just . . . you're not what I expected," he said.

"Well neither are you," said Edmund. He glanced quickly at the Minotaur just behind Caspian, the one Peter almost struck down.

"A common enemy unites even the greatest of foes." Aubrey looked down into the face of a badger. She smiled, he seemed so wise. Trumpkin walked up to him and clapped him on the back. Aubrey guessed that they were friends.

"We have been anxiously awaiting your arrival, my liege," Aubrey looked around for the owner of the voice but could see no one. "We are at your service." She followed Peter's gaze down and saw a mouse with a sword in his hand, bowing to Peter.

"Oh my gosh, he is so cute," Lucy whispered to Susan, but even Aubrey heard it and chuckled. Lucy was indeed right, he was an adorable mouse.

"Who said that?!" the mouse asked angrily. He brandished his sword around at the crowd. Lucy blushed and held her hand up.

"Sorry," she told him. The mouse chuckled.

"Your majesty," he said while bowing. "I do believe courageous, courteous, or chivalrous would better fit a Knight of Narnia." Lucy smiled at the mouse.

"Well at least we know some of you can handle a sword," Peter said while looking purposefully at Caspian. Aubrey rolled her eyes, it seemed as if there was no way for them to not argue.

"Indeed," said the noble mouse. "And we have recently put it to good use acquiring weapons for your army, sire."

"Good, because we'll be needing every sword we can get," said Peter. Aubrey's mind flashed to the scene at Beruna. There were so many men there.

"We'll then you'll probably be wanting yours back," Caspian said while handing Peter his sword back. Peter sheathed it and looked back to Caspian.

"We have set up a camp we think you'll find suitable. We can take you there now, if you like?" Caspian explained to them.

"Lead away," said Aubrey. After introductions were made, they followed Caspian and his army through the woods to the camp.

**

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**A/N: Wow, that was long. Please review. It makes me a very happy writer! =)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Please Read and Review. It is greatly appreciated! =) **

**Thanks to imprintedjet09, Luli Cullen and dompr4 for reviewing . . . cookies all around! hehe.  
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* * *

Alida sat deep in the tunnels of the How. She stared at the ancient drawings on the walls, admiring their beauty. Restless and worried, she lifted herself off the rock she was sitting on and looked closer at the pictures. Directly in front of her was one from the Kings and Queens coronation. They stood in front of their thrones, crowns atop their heads. She looked to her left and saw a picture depicting the battle between High King Peter, along with his brother, King Edmund against the giants of the North. Alida smiled as she thought of all the times she and Caspian played games where they imagined they lived in the Golden Age. She smiled as she thought of her invisible fawn friend, Raina. Caspian had made fun of her as a little girl, telling her having an invisible friend was silly, but she never let him put her down. Raina disappeared when she was 9 and her parents started trying for a son. Alida had been pushed from their minds, given to her maids to be cared for.

Alida huffed and sat back down on the rock, her back to the paintings. She stared at the blank wall in front of her and drummed her fingers on the cool surface of the rock in annoyance. Caspian had been gone far too long. It should not be taking this long to gather supplies. Something had stopped him from returning sooner, that she could feel. All she could do was hope that it wasn't any of her father's men.

Her head shot up when she heard hurrying footsteps down the hallway to her right. She watched as the large shadow became smaller and the form of Trufflehunter became clearer.

"Princess, your cousin has returned," he told her while trying to catch his breath. Alida's heart jumped into her throat. Why had he run here? Was something wrong?

"What is wrong Trufflehunter?" She asked him worriedly. She stood up and dusted the dirt from her skirts.

"You'll want to see this for yourself," he said with a large smile. Alida looked at him questioningly but he just grabbed her arm and began dragging her down the hallway.

They emerged into the bright sunlight and Alida had to cover her eyes. All around her she could see Narnians rushing around with weapons. So Caspian's plan had worked. When her vision became clearer she glanced around for her cousin. She soon spotted him, but he was not alone. He was talking with the centaur, Glenstorm they had learned his name was, and a boy of about his age. She stared at the boy, taking in his brown clothes and golden blond hair. _Curious? _She thought to herself. No one in these parts had that kind of hair for a long time. Lighter hair was usually found in the mountains of Archenland, but this boy clearly was not Archenlandian. Thinking back on her history lessons, the boy did not fit any descriptions of any of the neighboring lands. As she stood there, analyzing him, he was joined by three others, two girls and a boy. Realization hit her hard and she felt the shock take her breath away. One of the girls, the one with Chestnut brown hair, walked up to the boy and placed her arm on his shoulder, trying to calm him. The boy walked up beside them and stood there with a bored look on his face. The second girl, this one with red-blonde hair, turned and looked at Alida, smiling at her. Alida shook away her shock and smiled back.

Trufflehunter grabbed onto her hand once more and led her to the group. Alida felt like she was walking on clouds, like this was something from a dream. She allowed Trufflehunter to pull her through the crowds of fauns, centaurs, minotaurs and other creatures. They stopped just in front of the group as Caspian was finishing up his conversation.

Caspian spotted her and smiled. He pulled her into a hug, one she gladly returned, and placed his arms around her shoulders protectively. From the woods a third girl, about her own age, appeared and stood next to the bored looking boy.

"I would like to introduce you all to Princess Alida," Caspian said proudly. Alida curtsied awkwardly since Caspian refused to let go of her. She glared at him playfully then returned her attention.

"And she is . . . " asked the golden haired boy, staring at her. Alida shifted under his gaze.

"My cousin." The golden haired boy continued to stare, causing Alida to blush. She hated attention. She heard a scoffing noise and looked up to see the girl who had smiled at her glaring at the boy, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Caspian turned to Alida.

"Ali, I'd like to introduce you to the Kings and Queens of old." She knew it was them, but to hear it said aloud shocked her.

"That there is Queen Lucy," he pointed to the small girl with light blonde hair. The Valiant Queen smiled brightly and giggled.

"Next to her is King Edmund," he pointed to the bored looking boy with deep brown, almost black hair. His dark clothes gave him an air of mystery. Alida nodded her head to him and looked away, the Just King's intense gaze causing her to blush.

"This here is Queen Susan," Caspian faltered a bit on her name, causing Alida to look up at him questioningly. She saw a look pass between the two and then the Gentle Queen bowed her head and blushed. Alida smiled knowingly.

"And this is High King Peter," he said, breaking his gaze from Susan. Alida looked at the Magnificent King and once again blushed. He was staring at her so intently.

"I would also like to introduce you to Lady Aubrey," Caspian said, pointing to the fifth and final girl. She had long red-blond hair and piercing green eyes. When Alida stared into them, she felt like Lady Aubrey was reading her soul. The girl smiled tentatively at her. Alida smiled and looked at them all one more time.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesties," she said. She shrugged out of Caspians embrace, causing him to chuckle, and properly bowed to them. The Kings and Queens and the Lady exchanged amused glances. Susan stepped forward and placed a warm hand on Alida's shoulder.

"There is no need for curtsying, we are all friends. And please call us by our names, You Majesties just sounds so formal." Alida smiled at Susan and nodded her head.

"Well, now that introductions have been made, what do you say you two show us the camp?" Lucy and Susan rolled their eyes, causing Alida to giggle. Aubrey, who was standing next to Peter, casually leaned over and pinched him lightly on the arm. Peter yelped and rubbed the sore spot.

"Follow me," said Caspian, his eyes twinkling with merriment. Caspian, with Alida at his side, led the four Royals and the Lady towards the How, along the way pointing out key areas of the camp such as the archery and sword practice areas. Finally they reached the mouth of the How. Caspian and Alida stood back to watch the five of them walk in side-by-side. Once inside, the five of them spread around to search the cave. Alida smiled and reached, grabbing onto the bracket above her head. She held it out at arms length and noticed the unsure look on Peter's face.

"I know it's not what you're used to," she said sheepishly.

"But it is defensible," finished Caspian with more confidence. Alida looked up at him admiringly, he would make a marvelous King.

"Peter," called Aubrey. Alida could see she was staring at the paintings on the wall. "You may want to see this." Peter, along with the rest of his siblings, walked over to stare at the pictures. They were silent, lost in the memories of their past.

"Where are we?" Asked Edmund, he was running his hands along the pictures. He looked up to Caspian and Alida who exchanged glances.

"You don't know?" asked Alida. They all shook their heads. Alida handed the flaming bracket to Caspian and motioned for him to lead the way. They walked a little more, deeper into the tunnel. When Caspian finally stopped, they were standing in a pitch black room. It was so dark, Alida couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. She could tell they were in a room for the air felt hollowed and their breathing echoed deep off the walls on the other side. Slowly, Caspian lowered the fire, igniting a path along the farthest walls. The room began to fill with the warm light surrounding them. Alida heard a gasp, she looked up at the others and saw shock and understanding on their faces.

In the middle of the room stood a perfectly square stone table, cracked right down the middle. Half of the table was lying haphazardly on the floor, the other half stood regally in its original position. Behind the stone table was a wall filled with the form of Aslan, standing there as if he were guarding the ancient ground. Alida smiled as she looked into the Lion's warm face, even in a stone picture you could tell just how kind and wise he was. Lucy slowly walked forward and placed her hand on the table, Susan just behind her. Edmund was staring around the room, drinking in it's every piece. Peter stood in his spot at the doorway, staring at the picture of Aslan. Aubrey walked up to him and placed her hand in his, squeezing it. Lucy looked from the table to the picture of Aslan, then to Peter.

"He must know what he's doing," she said quietly, like she herself was hoping she could believe her own words. She sat herself down on the base of the stone table.

"I think it's up to us now," said Peter. He took one last look at the picture of Aslan and left the room. Aubrey exchanged worried looks with the others and hurried after Peter.

* * *

Peter stood at the mouth of the How. It was early in the morning and most of the Narnians were still sleeping. He watched as the night sky lightened and the stars disappeared. He heard footsteps behind him and knew who they belonged to. He smiled as Aubrey slipped her hand into his and stood next to him silently. Together, they stared at the disappearing stars.

"I think I missed this the most," he whispered. "Being able to come out here a night, lie down and stare at the stars." Aubrey stepped closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I missed it too," she said. "We definitely don't have stars like this in England."

Aubrey could feel her heart pounding against her ribs, much like it did these days when she was like this with Peter. She lifted her head from his shoulder, the sudden coolness causing him to look down at her. Their eyes locked and Aubrey felt a shiver roll down her spine. She stared into his eyes and saw that same emotion, the one she could not name. Her breath hitched at his intense gaze. Slowly he reached his hand up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes as his warm hand ran down her neck her breathing becoming more uneven. She opened her eyes and saw him leaning forward, he paused an inch away from her lips and all she craved was for the space between them to close. She reached forward to meet his lips when suddenly a loud, rushing of footsteps reached them. They quickly flew away from one another as a faun dressed in light armor rushed into the How. He stopped quickly when he saw Peter and Aubrey.

"King Peter, Lady Aubrey," he said, bowing to both of them. Aubrey averted her eyes and nervously brushed at her hair. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment yet her heart was craving for the moment that was just robbed from them.

"Your Majesty," the faun said, turning his attention to Peter. "I was just on watch duty, atop the How," he paused to regain his breath. "Sir, they know were here."

Peter's hand flew to his hair and starting running through it. It was a nervous habit he developed during the Golden Age and lost when they returned to England. He and Aubrey exchanged nervous glances, their previous encounter momentarily forgotten. Peter thanked the faun and sent him back to his post, the faun promised to inform them of anything else. Peter and Aubrey rushed into the How, it seemed they had a battle to plan.

* * *

**A/N: Okay. So I know it's not that long but I wanted to get something out to you guys since it's been a while since my last update. And speaking about my long absence, I must apologize. I would love to blame the whole thing on school but it is partially my fault. I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I think so far it's my favorite one! =)**

**Please leave me a review and let me know how I'm doing or if you don't like someone/something or what you would like to see. I appreciate the feedback.**

**I promise I will have the next chapter out sooner! =D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This one takes place where the other one left off.**

* * *

Peter rushed off to wake the Narnians. Aubrey ran blindly through the tunnels of the How, forgetting about a torch, to wake up the others. Before the sun was clear in the sky, everyone was gathered around the stone table.

"What are we going to do?" asked Alida, excitement shinning clearly in her warm brown eyes. Aubrey had to admire the young girls' bravery.

"It's only a matter of time," Peter addressed them all. He stood regally in front of the stone table, his hand resting like it always did on the hilt of his sword. Aubrey's eyes glazed over as she admired how handsome he looked in the faint light from the fires. She quickly shook her head clear of those thoughts, there were more important things to think about. She turned her attention back to what Peter was saying.

"Miraz' army and war machines are on their way," he was saying. He looked pointedly at everyone gathered. They just stared back at him curiously. "That means those same men aren't guarding the castle."

"What do you propose we do sire?" asked Reepicheep from the ground in front of him.

"We-"

"We-"

Caspian and Peter spoke at the same time. Peter turned a murderous glare at Caspian who sheepishly looked at the ground. Aubrey, from her spot next to Peter, lightly pinched his arm and hissed in his ear, "Be nice." Peter glared at her.

"Our only hope," he said, directing his attention away from Aubrey and his stinging arm and back to the small crowd, "Is to strike at them before they can strike at us."

"But that's insane!" Caspian spoke up. "No one has ever taken that castle, it's impossible!"

"There's always a first for everything." Peter said cockily.

"We would have the element of surprise," said Trumpkin reasonably.

"I grew up in that castle and I won't pretend that I know everything about it," Alida spoke up. "It's a huge place with many secret passages and there is no way we could take it."

"We have the advantage here," said Caspian. His eyes were pleading with Peter.

"If we dig in, we could hold them off," said Susan. Peter looked at her like she had just betrayed him. She exchanged glances with Caspian and could tell that he was silently thanking her.

"Look," Peter said, his attention once more on Caspian, "We appreciate what you have done here, but this isn't a fortress, it's a tomb."

"If the Telmarines are smart," said Edmund, "They'll just starve us out." Everyone sat around in silence, mulling over everything that was said.

"Sire," said Reepicheep, he glanced at his men and they all nodded, pulling their swords into a position of salute. "I think you know where we stand." Peter nodded thankfully at the small mouse. He then glanced at Glenstorm.

"If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?"

"Or die trying," the centaur said proudly. He placed his arm over his chest, pledging his word.

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Lucy, speaking for the first time. Everyone turned to look at her. Aubrey was impressed, back in the Golden Age, Lucy hated being apart of any type of war council. She always sat in the back quietly, just admiring the scene.

"What Lu?" asked Aubrey.

"You all are acting like there are only two options, dying here or dying there," her hazel eyes shinning with wisdom beyond her eleven years.

"I don't think you've been paying attention, Lu," said Peter with a light chuckle. Aubrey glared at him, he could be so insensitive sometimes. Lucy's eyes flared with anger.

"No," she said angrily. "You're not listening. Or have you forgotten who really killed the White Witch?" She glared pointedly at Peter. Aubrey subconsciously rubbed her stomach where a long white scar could be found, a reminder of her sacrifice and her battle with the White Witch.

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough," he said. Lucy huffed and turned her back on her oldest brother.

"Lu, as much as I hate to admit it," said Aubrey, "Peter is right. Our best chance is to try and take the castle, the least we can do is take out most of their army."

"I still don't think this is the right way," said Alida.

"Unless anyone can think of a better plan right now, we are storming the castle," said Peter. He looked around, but no one had anything else to say. Caspian lowered his head in resignation.

"What are the details, Sire?" asked Glenstorm.

* * *

"I don't like this plan." Alida sat on one of the tiers of the how overlooking the forest. Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest. She had her back to Caspian.

"I don't like it either Ali," he said, "But we need to do something. We can't just sit here and wait for your father to crush us." Caspian noticed her shoulders tense and immediately realized his mistake.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I shouldn't . . ."

"No you're right. We can't just sit around." She stood up, dusted off her dress and readjusted the crossbow strung on her back. "When do we leave?" She asked as she turned around to face him. Caspian dropped his gaze and stepped back, afraid of her reaction to what he was going to say.

"You're not coming." Alida stared at him waiting for him to smile, ruffle her hair and tease her for believing him. They stood in silence for what seemed like forever before Alida started to laugh and walk away.

"Ha! Funny one Cas," she said. He turned around so that she was in front of him once more, even if it was only her back. He sighed.

"I'm not kidding. You're not coming." Alida spun around quickly on her heels, her red hair whipping around her face. She looked at him, her chocolate brown eyes blazing with fury. Caspian inwardly flinched.

"And why is that?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"Because you're too young."

"And how old is Edmund," she asked, her voice was a harsh whisper.

"Thirteen," he said, "But I don't see how that's –"

"Only a year older then I!" she yelled at him. "And yet he is allowed to fight!"

"Ali, please under –"

"Why did you let me come if I was only going to be sitting on the sideline cheering you on!" she continued to yell. Each one of her words made Caspian flinch. She had a really nasty temper.

"That's not –"

"Do you think I am some small, inept little girl?"

"No, I –"

"You think I can't handle myself?! I'll have you know I am a dead shot with the crossbow and pretty good with a sword."

"I know, it's just –"

"I can handle myself and can help you! You said it yourself that you would need me! This is so just like a man, thinking that a girl can't help. We'll I'll have you know –"

"Ali, stop!" Caspian yelled. She stopped her rant to glare at him. Caspian sucked in a deep breath. "I don't want you there tonight, because I don't want you to get hurt." Alida stared at him, her mouth slightly open.

"Oh." Was all she said. Caspian walked up to her and pulled her into a hug.

"I love you, and tonight is going to be very dangerous. I would be lying if I said we're all going to come back in one piece." Alida returned his hug. "I wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to you and I knew I could have prevented it." Caspian felt something wet and warm on his shirt and realized they were her tears, he hugged her tighter. "So please, for me, stay here. Keep Lucy company. I know Peter isn't allowing her to come either." Alida silently nodded her head and they sat down again. Caspian wrapped his arm securely around her shoulders as the tears silently rolled down her cheeks and together, they watched the sun set.

* * *

That night, well after the sun had set and they were sure everyone in the castle would be asleep, the armies moved out. Reepicheep led the foot soldiers to the castle as Caspian. Peter, Edmund, Susan and Aubrey were carried away on griffins. They were to be the air strike.

Before long, the castle was in sight. Aubrey sighed with relief as she saw no one except the night guards out. Peter nodded to Edmund and his griffin led him to the highest tower. Aubrey watched as Edmund landed safely on the roof and silently wished him good luck. The other four griffins flew to the right and quietly dropped them on the walkway. Caspian and Peter, the first ones to land, rushed forward quickly and took out the guards. Aubrey and Susan followed behind them as Caspian led them to his Professor's study. There was a moment of fear that passed through Aubrey as one of the guards turned and blocked Peter's blow. The two fought for a short amount of time and Aubrey was afraid someone would hear or see them soon. But she needn't worry for Susan strung one of her arrows quickly and sent it flying towards the guards' throat. After making sure he was dead, they hurried on their way. Caspian fastened a rope to the side of the tower in front of them and began to climb up, Susan went right after him. Peter helped Aubrey get a grip on the rope the watched as she climbed up behind Susan. Once she was out of the way and standing safely on the ledge above him, he began to climb. When they were all up, Caspian opened the window to the office while Peter rolled up their rope. Aubrey entered the office and gasped. The place was a complete mess with books and papers haphazardly thrown around the room. She bent down and picked up a book and noticed it had a picture of Peter and his siblings on it. So this is where Caspian learned all about the old Narnia, she thought to herself. She looked back up as Peter entered the room. Caspian looked up at Peter with sad eyes.

"I have to find him," he said. Peter looked sorry but annoyed.

"We don't have time," he whispered. "You have to get to the gatehouse." Caspian glared at him.

"You wouldn't even be here if it weren't for him," he told Peter forcefully. "And neither would I," he added sadly. Peter looked at a loss for what to do.

"We can take care of Miraz," Susan said quietly, she looked up at Caspian with sad eyes and he smiled thankfully at her. Peter nodded his head in agreement.

"I can still make it to the gatehouse on time," he whispered before he left the room. The three of them watched him leave.

"Where do we go from here?" Aubrey asked, looking around.

* * *

It took them a while with many wrong turns, dead ends and backtracking, but they finally reached the room they believed belonged to Miraz. They could hear hurried whispers through the door. Just before they entered the room, they heard a woman's voice, "I don't want to do this." They pushed open the door and saw Caspian, with his sword at Miraz throat, and a woman with a crossbow aimed at Caspian's chest.

Susan had an arrow notched before any of them realized it and had it pointing at Caspian's aunt, there was a fierce look in her eyes that would have made the strongest of men cower in fear.

"We don't want you to either," she said as Peter and Aubrey unsheathed their swords. Aubrey pointed hers at Caspian's aunt, along with Susan, as Peter had his on Miraz.

"This used to be a private room," Miraz said with a roll of his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked annoyed. "You're supposed to be at the gatehouse."

"No!" Caspian shouted, taking them all by surprise. "For once I want the truth, did you kill my father?" Aubrey gasped, not believing what she was hearing. How could anyone kill their brother?

"Now we get to it," Miraz said sarcastically.

"You told me your brother died in his sleep," said Caspian's aunt.

"That was more or less the truth," said Miraz, as though he didn't care. Caspian walked closer to Miraz, forcing him to step against the wall or have the sword at his throat kill him. Aubrey watched as a line of blood trickled down his neck.

"Did you kill my father?" Caspian asked in an even harsher voice.

"Caspian," Susan said gently. "This won't make things better."

Miraz regarded him with dark eyes. "We Telmarines would have had nothing had we not taken it. Your father knew that as well as anyone."

"How could you?" said Caspian's aunt, shocked. Aubrey noticed that she let her crossbow drop slightly.

"For the same reason you are going to pull that trigger!" Miraz yelled. He started walking toward Caspian who was taken back and slowly stepped back, the point of his sword pushing harder in his neck. "For our son! You must choose, do you want him to be King or grow up like Caspian here, fatherless!"

Caspian's aunt wailed in despair and shot her crossbow. At the same time, Miraz pushed Caspian away from him and disappeared through a secret passage in the wall. Aubrey jumped on top of Caspian's aunt and pinned her to the bed, pushing the crossbow away from her grasp. The arrow she shot hit Caspian's shoulder, causing him to wince in pain and fall to the floor. Peter rushed to the spot in the wall where Miraz disappeared but couldn't figure out how to open it. Susan went to Caspian's side and examined his wound. She gently dislodged the arrow from his shoulder as Peter came up to them. Aubrey tied Caspian's aunt to the bed with the bed sheets. The older woman did not protest. She seemed to have passed out from something.

"We have to leave," said Aubrey. The others nodded in consent and headed out the door. With Caspian leading them, they made it quickly to the courtyard where they could see the gate slowly lifting. Caspian turned to lead them another way, but Peter had another idea. He ran into the courtyard.

"Peter!" Susan yelled after him as bells sounded all around the castle. Caspian looked around nervously.

"Our army is just outside!" He yelled back, pointing at the gate. Caspian, Susan and Aubrey exchanged hurried looks before following after him. Caspian began helping him lift the gate.

"Now Ed!" Aubrey shouted. "Signal the troops!" She unsheathed her sword and prepared herself for a rough fight.

"I'm a little busy," he yelled down. Aubrey looked up to see him struggling against one of the guards. Susan looked around worried. The gate was almost up.

"Peter, it's too late," she said. "We have to call it off while we still can." Aubrey could tell how worried she was. The bells continued to ring and they could hear the sounds of footsteps echoing all around them.

"No," said Peter. "I can still do this!"

"Who exactly are you doing this for?" she asked angrily. Aubrey looked up and saw that Edmund had won his battle. He was now signaling the troops. She looked past the gate and saw a minotaur bursting through the first one. Before she knew it, Narnians were rushing in all around her through the gate Peter and Caspian had raised. Just as they all came crashing through, Miraz' army entered the courtyard. Aubrey exchanged glances with the other three and rushed forward into battle.

"For Narnia!" they all yelled.

Aubrey cut down soldier after soldier, loosing count after the first few. She could feel a few scrapes and cuts on her body, but nothing serious. She put them out of her mind as she cut down her next victim. During a break in her fighting, Aubrey saw Peter and a minotaur fighting their way up some steps, trying to reach Miraz. She had to re-focus her attention as she felt something hard knock against her head. She looked up and saw one of Miraz' soldiers smiling evilly at her. She fought with him for a while before eventually cutting him down. She focused her attention on Peter in time to see the minotaur with him be shot down by one of Miraz' men. Peter looked shocked as the minotaur fell to the ground, crushing two Telmarine soldiers below. He exchanged looks with Aubrey then looked to the gate. That was when she noticed that it was slowly falling. Another minotaur ran forward and caught the gate on his shoulders, holding it up. She looked back at Peter and he nodded. He ran off the steps and back onto the ground of the courtyard, all the time yelling.

"Retreat! Fall back!" He fought with more soldiers as he ran around spreading the message. Aubrey watched as Glenstorm the centaur ran up to Susan and quickly swung her onto his back. Aubrey looked around the battle for Caspian but couldn't see him. Aubrey fought some more and somehow ended up next to Peter.

"Run!" he told her as he cut someone down. "Get out of here!"

"Not without you," she said stubbornly. Just then, Caspian emerged on a horse, his professor just behind him on another one. In his hands, Caspian held the reins to a third horse. They galloped over to Peter and Aubrey and Peter swung himself into the saddle. Aubrey hoisted herself up behind him and they took off through the courtyard towards the gates. Aubrey heard a clicking noise and looked up to see hundred of soldiers armed with crossbows on the levels above them, and every one of them had their weapons pointed at them. Aubrey closed her eyes and urged the horse to go faster. She heard another click, this one closer, and opened her eyes to see a soldier on the ground, his crossbow aimed at Peter's back. Aubrey threw herself over and cried out in pain as the arrow lodged itself in her back, just below her shoulder. Peter started to slow down to see what was wrong but Aubrey yelled at him to continue. They made it through the gate just as the minotaur holding it up was shot and killed. Peter stopped just before the bridge to look back at the scene behind him. Aubrey winced in pain as she too turned around. There were still so many Narnian's trapped inside. She turned back to Peter and could see tears shinning in his eyes.

"There's nothing we can do," she said sadly, wincing as she moved her shoulder. Peter looked at her worriedly.

"Peter!" They both turned at Susan's voice and saw the bridge beginning to rise. Peter gripped the reins tighter.

"Hold on tight," he whispered to her. Aubrey closed her eyes and tightened her grip around Peter's waist. She felt the horse speed up, jump and land roughly on the ground. They didn't stop until they reached the safety of the forest.

Once they were covered by the trees, Peter dismounted and helped Aubrey out of the saddle. He sat her down on a nearby fallen log and began examining her wound.

"It doesn't look to bad," he told her, gently touching the area around the wound. "I'm going to have to remove the arrow."

Aubrey nodded her head and whimpered in pain as she felt him pull. She heard a ripping sound and looked down to see Peter tearing off a piece of his shirt. He carefully tied the fabric around her wound to stop the bleeding.

"That should have hit me," he said while tying her wound, his crystal blue eyes were sparkling in the moonlight.

"I know," was all she could say.

"Why did you do it?" he asked gently.

Aubrey looked directly into his eyes. "Narnia needs you, Peter," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But I need you," he said quietly, almost a whisper. Aubrey was about to say something but was interrupted by the arrival of Susan. Her chestnut hair was is disarray, sticking up all over the place and her crystal blue eyes, the same as Peter's, were shinning with fresh tears. Aubrey looked up at her worriedly.

"We need to head back to camp," she told them. "It's Trumpkin."

**

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**A/N: Okay so I'm going to stop here. Cliffy! Haha. Well it's not much of a cliffy if you guys know the story. Anyway, I really appreciate all of the favorite author, story alerts and favorites. Every time I get an e-mail about them, I swear it just brightens my day. So thanks to all of you. Once again, please review. I love hearing your feedback, good and bad. **

**Hope you enjoyed! =)**


	7. Chapter 7

Lucy sat on the edge of the stone table with Alida at her feet. Neither of the girls had said a word since the others left, they had been completely consumed with their worry and fear. Lucy sat with her cordial in her hand, slowly turning it over as her mind raced with thoughts about her siblings. Alida was staring at the stone picture of Aslan on the far wall. She nervously twirled her hair around her finger as she prayed that her cousin and the others would return safely.

A loud horn ripped through the air, breaking the two girls' thoughts. They shared a worried look before they rushed out of the How at each others side.

Alida smiled brightly when she saw Caspian walking forward. She ran to him and locked her arms around his neck in a fierce hug, determined to never let him go again. Caspian returned her hug though with less of a grip. Alida could tell that he was tired and worn from the battle and the following journey.

"What happened?" she heard Lucy ask from behind her. It was then that Alida took a step back to survey her cousin fully and everyone around him. She saw the anger on Caspian's face and wondered for herself what was wrong. She looked to the golden haired King, Peter and saw the same anger on his face and he was glaring daggers at Caspian.

"Ask him," he said through his teeth, looking in Caspian's direction.

"Peter," Susan spoke a gentle warning from Aubrey's side. Alida noticed that the other girl looked weary and that she was holding her arm. Susan seemed to be helping her to stand.

"What do you mean me?" Caspian asked angrily, turning to face Peter. "You could have called it off! There was still time!"

"Not thanks to you!" Their shouts echoed off the trees in the distant. If Alida wasn't so shocked, she would have been impressed with the level of their voices. "If you had just kept to the plan, those soldiers might still be alive!" Peter raised an armored hand and pointed to the forest. Alida guessed he was pointing to the castle. It was only then she realized that half of the army they had taken with them was missing. Alida's eyes filled with tears at the thought of their fallen soldiers. She wondered how many families had been torn apart because of her father.

"And if you had listened to me in the beginning, they definitely would be!" Caspian yelled back.

"You called us for help, remember!"

"Yeah," Caspian practically hissed. "My first mistake." Alida saw the dark look that quickly passed across Susan's face. She stared at the girl curiously.

"No, thinking you could lead these people was your first mistake," Peter said as he walked past Caspian for the entrance of the How.

"Hey!" Caspian yelled as loudly as he could. He stepped away from Alida and followed Peter, his face was as red as an apple with anger. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia!" Alida stepped back and stood next to Lucy. She exchanged worried glances with the youngest Queen, neither of them knowing what they could do. Peter stopped and turned around to glare at Caspian once more.

"No. You invaded Narnia. You have no more right to it than Miraz does! You, him, your father . . . Narnia's better off with out the lot of you!" Alida couldn't help but feel a little stung at his harsh words and she could tell that Caspian was beyond furious. At the same time, Caspian and Peter drew their swords on one another pointing them at the others' throat.

"Stop it!" Edmund yelled. Caspian and Peter turned to stare at him.

It was the first time that Alida had noticed the dark haired King. He looked worn like the rest of them and she could see that he had a small cut on his lip. In his hands, he carried a small bundle of something. Alida heard Lucy gasp from next to her and the young Queen ran forward. Edmund put the bundle on the ground and Alida noticed it was the dwarf Trumpkin. He had a nasty looking gash on his head and was covered in blood. Lucy knelt down next to him and quickly dropped some of her cordial into his mouth. They all waited on baited breath for him to stir. Alida let loose a breath she did not realize she was holding when she saw the dwarf move.

Alida turned to look at Caspian and noticed that he was gone. Peter stood in the same spot with his sword hanging lazily at his side and his head bowed. Alida watched as Aubrey walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. Peter looked up to her and said something quietly to which Aubrey nodded. Peter took her hand and led her to a spot on the How. He set her down and began examining her injured arm. Alida turned away from them, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment. Susan and Lucy were standing with Trumpkin still. By the looks on their faces, Susan was telling Lucy everything that had happened. Edmund was standing off to the side, watching the scene before him much like Alida was doing. She could see that he looked sad. She couldn't take much more of the desperation outside. There were so many tears and worried looks and she couldn't stand it. She wanted to find Caspian and have him tell her that everything was going to be alright, so she ran into the How to find him.

* * *

As Alida walked through the dark halls, she could hear eerie whispering around her. She wished she had remembered to grab a torch before entering this far. She rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the cold that seemed to be lingering. As she rounded the next corner, the whispers became louder. She could see an eerie light up ahead and snuck forward as quietly as she could. She poked her head around the corner and saw four figures standing around the stone table, facing the stone picture of Aslan. Two were cloaked, one was the dwarf Nikabrik and the other was Caspian. As one of the figures lowered it's hood, she saw the furry face and sharp teeth of a werewolf. Alida gasped softly then covered her mouth, worried she had been heard. When no one moved, she relaxed. She knew werewolves were Dark Narnians, having sided with the White Witch thirteen hundred years ago. And according to the professor, none had renounced their dark ways after her fall, not like the dwarves and Minotaurs and others had. Quickly she turned and ran for the entrance of the tunnel, she needed to get help. She saw light from the entrance up ahead and doubled her speed. She was almost there when she tripped and fell. She let out a scream as she felt something twist in her foot and fell to the ground with a loud _THUMP_!

She heard quick footsteps and saw Edmund, Peter, Trumpkin and Lucy enter the How. Aubrey, with the help of Susan, wasn't far behind. Edmund reached her first and knelt down at her side. He gently removed her hand from her ankle and began examining it. Alida shook her head, trying to form words.

"I'm fine," she said breathlessly. Edmund looked at her skeptically. "Really," she insisted. "It's Caspian." She saw Susan freeze and look down the hallway worriedly. "Nikabrik and a werewolf and another hooded creature were with him. There's something wrong happening down there." Edmund looked up to Peter worriedly.

"Susan, Lucy, stay with Aubrey and Alida, make sure they're okay," Peter told them. Susan nodded her head reluctantly and leaned Aubrey against the wall. She took Edmund's vacated spot next to Alida and watched as her brothers and Trumpkin ran down the hall. With a determined look, Lucy followed after them.

"Lucy!" Susan yelled, but the girl didn't turn, she just kept running. Susan sighed and Alida could tell she was worried.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Aubrey asked breathlessly from her spot against the wall. Alida shook her head sadly. Susan looked down at Alida's ankle and pressed on it lightly. Alida winced and Susan smiled at her apologetically.

"It's definitely sprained and possibly broken. Edmund is better than me at telling this sort of thing," she said. Alida nodded her head. Susan glanced down the tunnel worriedly.

"Go," Alida said gently. Susan looked up at her confused.

"See what's going on and if you can help."

"What about you . . . and Aubrey?" she asked, looking up at the older girl.

"Well be fine," Aubrey said gently. Susan nodded her head and hurried off. Aubrey slid down the wall into a sitting position on the floor. She laid her head back against the cool rock and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Alida asked worriedly. Aubrey opened her eyes and stared at Alida's chocolate brown ones with her own bright green. She slowly nodded her head.

"I'm just tired and this wound on my shoulder is throbbing," she explained. "Nothing really, I've had worse," she said with a wry smile. Alida saw her eyes quickly glance at her abdomen. She wondered what had happened to the girl but thought that was a story best saved for later.

"What happened last night?" Alida asked quietly. Seeing the anger between Caspian and Peter, Susan's sad looks and Aubrey's hurt figure, she wondered to herself if she really wanted to know.

"A lot," she said sadly. "Susan, Peter and I were supposed to," she paused for a minute, staring at Alida. She looked like she was trying to find the right words, "see, your father while Caspian helped with the bridge, but something went wrong. When we got to their chamber, Caspian was already there and arguing with them. There were a lot of things said, something about your father killing Caspian's and during a slight skirmish we had, your father slipped out a side door." Alida nodded her head, listening to the story. She could already see the direction it was heading in.

"By that time, everyone in the castle knew we were there. The army was assembled and we had to flee. At the gate, Peter decided that we should stay and fight. After some arguing, we all agreed. The fight wasn't good. We took down as many as we but more just appeared. They started lowering the gate, to trap us inside, but a Minotaur ran forward and held it up for us. Glenstorm grabbed Susan and escaped with her while Peter and I sounded the retreat. Caspian showed up with your professor and horses. We jumped on and ran. Just after Peter and I cleared the gate, your father shot down the Minotaur, trapping half of our army down there. He gave the order, and they were all shot." Aubrey lowered her head as the tears began to fall. Alida grabbed the older girls hand and squeezed it comfortingly. If she hadn't hated her father before, she did now. He killed those Narnians unfairly, not even giving them a chance to fight back. Her blood boiled when she thought of it.

There were shuffled footsteps and Alida and Aubrey looked up to see Susan walking quickly past. She had tears in her eyes and she looked angry. Aubrey groaned. She knew that it usually took a lot to make Susan that angry. Not long after her, Lucy appeared. She looked at Aubrey and Alida and shook her head, she then followed her sister. Edmund came next, with Caspian just behind him. Caspian looked at Aubrey and she could see pain and sorrow in his eyes. He quickly glanced out the entranceway where Susan could just be seen.

"Where is Peter?" Aubrey asked, slightly worried.

"At the Stone Table," Edmund told her. She nodded her head and stood up. She was shaky, but she could walk. Caspian and Edmund regarded her with wary eyes.

"I'm fine. I can walk," she reassured them. Slowly, and using the wall for support, Aubrey walked down the pathway and deep into the How. Caspian, Edmund and Alida watched her go until she was swallowed up by the shadows.

Edmund quickly bent down once more and examined Alida's ankle. Caspian watched with worried eyes.

"It appears to be sprained," he told her. "You're lucky you didn't break it." Alida nodded her head. Once Caspian knew she was okay, he left. Alida followed him with sad eyes.

"Don't blame him," Edmund told her. She looked into his shinning hazel eyes.

"Blame him?" She asked confused.

"For leaving," he clarified. "He has a lot on his mind right now. I think he just needs to sort through it all." Alida smiled understandingly.

"What happened back there?" She asked as Edmund helped her to stand. She placed an arm around his neck for support as his wrapped around her side. She winced again when she put the faintest bit of pressure on her ankle.

"Nikabrik, the werewolf and a hag tried convincing Caspian to bring the White Witch back." Alida gasped at that. Why would they want to do thing like that?

"Why?" She asked horrified.

"To end this war," he said.

"Just to start another?" Edmund smiled at her. She felt her stomach flutter and blamed it on the pain in her ankle.

"Yes well, some believe she could do a better job," he said. She could hear an edge to his voice. It was only then that she remembered from stories the professor told her and Caspian that Edmund had once followed the Witch.

"Well in my opinion, no one is better for the job than you four." Edmund smiled thankfully at her and helped her to the entrance.

"So did you stop her?" Alida asked.

"Well Peter shoved Caspian out of the way only to be caught under her spell. I bet he feels real bad that he almost brought her back. Anyway, she almost had Peter convinced but I came up and stabbed her from behind," he said happily. Alida could tell that he was proud he was able to take revenge on the Witch. His smile was contagious and she found herself smiling with him.

When they got outside, the remaining Narnians were gathering and practicing for another battle. They all knew Miraz would be on his way with his armies, he would want revenge for the attack on the castle. When they were outside, Edmund walked Alida to the side of the How by the archery range. They could see Caspian and Susan in the distance talking.

"What is wrong with Peter?" Alida asked quietly. Edmund looked sadly at the ground.

"During the final battle of the first war, Aubrey was wounded pretty badly by the Witch. We weren't sure if she would survive. She sacrificed herself for Peter, to make sure he would live. And now Peter is feeling guilty for almost brining the person who almost killed her back to life." Alida nodded surprised. She couldn't even imagine how she would feel if she were in Peter's shoes. Edmund ran off to find Lucy so that Alida could take some cordial. The two of them returned and in no time, Alida's ankle was healed. Though a bit stiff, she was still able to fight. The three of them decided to head down to the practice area to get some training in, while they still had time.

* * *

Aubrey walked slowly down the tunnel. By the time she reached the Stone Table, she was tired and out of breath. She saw Peter in front of her, sitting on the edge of the stone table. She smiled when she saw that his head was slightly tilted to one side, a sure indication that he was thinking hard.

"It wasn't hard to find you," she said with a smile. He turned when she started speaking. "I just had to follow the smell of smoke." He smiled at her comment. He stood up and walked to stand in front of her.

"You should be resting," he told her sternly as he slipped his arm around her waist. She placed her arm around his neck and he walked her to where he was previously sitting.

"I was worried about you," she told him as she sat down. He sat down next to her and she laid her head on his shoulder. "What happened Petey?" she asked gently. Peter sighed.

"Caspian almost brought back the White Witch," he said. He felt her body tense up. Like her, he was remembering the battle that for them was only one year ago.

"It was a dark magic and all she needed was one drop of blood to be freed from her ice prison. Caspian was just about to oblige when I pushed him out of the way." He fell silent, causing Aubrey to turn her head and look at him.

"Well it's a good thing you were there," she told him. In the reflection of the firelight, she saw a tear fall down his cheek. She reached up with her good hand and wiped it away.

"Peter, it's okay," she told him gently. "She's gone now. Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry, Susan was so angry, I could tell. And I-I was so ashamed." Aubrey stared at him curiously. "I fell under her spell, and if it weren't for Edmund . . . she would be back." He bowed his head sadly, afraid to look at her. Aubrey let his words soak into her mind. She wasn't angry at Peter, she was just surprised by the whole situation. Looking back at Peter, Aubrey placed her finger under his chin, causing him to look up at her.

"It's not your fault," she told him firmly. She knew it was important that he understood that, otherwise he would continue blaming himself. "The Witch's magic is strong. I don't blame you."

Peter looked hard into her eyes and leaned forward, closing the space between them. His lips met hers in a gentle kiss which she happily returned. After a few minutes, he pulled away. They stared at each other before Aubrey reached forward and pulled his face to hers. Peter's hands automatically went to her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss lasted longer than the first, but once again they pulled away. Aubrey smiled at him and once more leaned her head on his shoulder. Peter had a smile to match as he snuggled closer to her.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while now," he whispered into the quiet.

"Me too," she said. Peter could hear the smile in her voice.

They sat together in the room with the Stone Table until Peter could hear heavy breathing from Aubrey. He looked down and noticed she was sleeping. It was only then he realized how exhausted he was. Gently, he eased Aubrey off of himself and laid her against the cool stone. He stood up and stretched. He looked down at Aubrey, she was so beautiful when she slept with her strawberry blonde hair fanned out across her shoulders. With a smile, he bent down and picked her up. He gently cradled her in his arms, being wary of her wounded shoulder, and carried her to the part of the How where they all slept. He gently laid her down on the bedroll next to Susan. He could see a small smile on her face and hoped she was having pleasant dreams. He bent down and brushed a piece of her hair that had fallen into her eyes and kissed her forehead gently. With a large smile on his face and butterflies dancing happily around in his stomach, he laid down in his spot next to Edmund. In the midst of all the sadness they had faced in the last twenty four hours, Peter was happy that something good had finally happened.

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**A/N: Ahhhhhhhh. I know it's kind of a terrible ending, but I've been staring at this page for the past two days and could not come up with anything, so I hope this was okay. **

**So Peter and Aubrey finally had their uninterrupted moment! Yayyyy! I hope you guys all enjoyed it, because I know I did. I've been so excited to write this part since I started this story, actually since I started 'Through the Door'. Lol. **

**Well I'm tired (as it's 2:30 am) and I'm going to end it here. Please review and tell me what you think. Likes? Dislikes? Changes? Add-on's? Anything you desire! =)**


	8. Chapter 8

Peter awoke before any of them and immediately headed to the room with the Stone Table. He sat on the edge of it staring at the carving of Aslan before him. He had so many thoughts running through his mind and this seemed to be the best place to sort through them. He felt comforted and reassured just staring into Aslan's stone eyes. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but it seemed like only a few minutes went by before he heard light footsteps approaching behind him. The footsteps came to a stop at his side and the person sat down next to him. He turned his head slightly and saw Lucy's light blonde braids.

"You're lucky you know," he whispered to her. He felt her body shift as she turned to get a better look at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"To have seen him," he nodded his head in the direction of the stone Aslan. Lucy followed his gaze and nodded her head in understanding. "I wish he would just give me some kind of proof." He sighed, turning to look at Lucy.

"Maybe," she said slowly, a knowing look in her eyes. "Maybe we're the ones who need to prove ourselves to him." Peter stared at her. She seemed so much older than her eleven years. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and the two of them sat in a comfortable silence, both wrapped up in thoughts of their own.

Peter could hear more footsteps. These seemed much more rushed than when Lucy had joined him. They both turned just as Edmund came running into the vast room. He bent down, placing his hands on his knees, trying to regain his breath.

"You better come and see this," he said to them. Lucy and Peter shared a worried look before jumping up from their seats and quickly following Edmund outside.

* * *

They joined Susan, Aubrey, Caspian and Alida on one of the many turrets of the How overlooking the ground below them. Peter shared a smile with Aubrey, who looked much better now that she was completely healed, but quickly turned away as the sound of heaving marching reached his ears. They all glanced across the field to where a large army was emerging from the trees, leading them on horseback was Miraz himself.

Peter turned and shared a look with Caspian, their fight the night before forgotten. Together they led the others into the How, a meeting was needed.

* * *

"That's your next big plan," Trumpkin asked in disbelief, staring at Peter with large, sad eyes. He turned to Caspian, begging him to reconsider. Caspian shook his head at the dwarf, he stood by Peter. "Sending a little girl into the darkest parts of the forest, alone?" Peter nodded his head sadly. He wasn't happy with this new plan, but something had to be done. They couldn't wait for Aslan any longer. Seeing the distress in his eyes, Aubrey reached out her hand and grasped tightly onto his. She gave it a reassuring squeeze, letting him know he was doing the right thing.

"It's our only chance," Edmund stated loudly, looking at everyone gathered.

"And," Susan said, stepping forward. "She won't be alone." She placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder. Lucy smiled thankfully at her older sister.

Trumpkin turned his sad eyes on Lucy.

"Haven't enough of us died already?" he asked her gently.

"Now is not the time to lose hope," Trufflehunter spoke up for the first time. "Queen Lucy hasn't, and neither have I." Trumpkin sighed.

"I'm going with you," he said determinedly, but Lucy slowly shook her head.

"No," she said gently. "We need you here." Trumpkin looked into her eyes and saw she was serious. He dropped his head in surrender, Queen Lucy was right. Their numbers were small enough as it was and if they were to face Miraz, they would need everyone.

"We have to hold them off until Lucy and Susan return," Peter said. He let his statement hang, hoping someone would have an idea as to how they would do that. With their small numbers, they wouldn't last long in a fight.

"If I may . . ." Caspian said softly. He looked at his Professor who nodded his head encouragingly. He stepped forward into the center of their small group.

"Miraz may be a tyrant and a murderer, but as King he is subjected to the traditions and expectations of his people. There is one in particular that may buy us some time."

* * *

"I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, in order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper Miraz to a single combat upon the field of battle. The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender." Edmund rolled up the scroll he was reading from slowly, letting the words Peter and Caspian wrote together sink into Miraz' mind. Edmund smirked at the scowl he could see on the fake King's face.

"Tell me Prince Edmund—"

"King," Edmund said, pausing in his rolling to briefly look Miraz in the face. He had to stop the smile from forming on his lips.

"Pardon?" he asked with confusion and some anger. He hated being interrupted. Edmund finished rolling the scroll and stared at Miraz, a bored look on his face.

"It's King Edmund actually. Just King though. Peter is the High King. I know, it's a bit confusing." He laughed inside as he saw Miraz' anger rising. Peter asked Edmund to confront Miraz knowing no one was better for the job than him. He was the only one who could manipulate his words to entice Miraz.

Miraz closed his eyes, clearly annoyed with the young boy.

"Why would we risk such a proposal when our army could wipe yours out by nightfall?" He sneered at the boy in front of him, thinking he made a valuable point.

"Haven't you already underestimated our number," Edmund asked him. "I mean, only a week ago, Narnians were extinct. Am I correct?"

"And so you will be again," Miraz said angrily, leaning closer to Edmund. Edmund didn't flinch, instead he held his ground, his eyes silently challenging Miraz.

"Then you should have little to fear."

"This is not a question of bravery, boy," Miraz said while chuckling. His Lords around him chuckled too.

"So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?" Edmund asked with mock curiousness. He knew just the words to get Miraz to agree to their plan. Miraz abruptly stopped laughing.

"I never said I refused." He glared at Edmund angrily. This boy was making him look like a fool in front of his men.

"You have our support, Your Majesty, whatever you decided," said one of his Lords.

"My Lord, our military power alone provides us with the perfect excuse to avoid—"

"I am not avoiding anything!" Miraz turned his angry eyes to the Lord on his right hand side. The man sat back, a scared look on his face.

"I was merely pointing out that My Lord is well within his rights to refuse." The Lord bowed his head in respect.

"His majesty would never refuse. He relishes the chance to show his people the bravery of their new King," said the Lord on Miraz' other side. Edmund looked between the three men with amusement. Apparently they didn't need Edmund's wit to get Miraz to agree, his Lords were doing that for him. Miraz turned his angry eyes to Edmund, who once again did not flinch.

"You had better hope your brothers' sword is sharper than his pen!" He yelled angrily. Edmund smirked as he left the tent.

* * *

Caspian walked around the How, going over battle plans in his head. They had to be prepared in case Miraz went back on his word. And Caspian was almost positive that he would should things look bad. He heard light chatter coming from ahead of him, and decided to see who it was.

He walked into one of the many chambers of the How and saw Susan and Lucy preparing to depart. He stared at Susan and noticed how beautiful she looked in her battle armor and dress. He remarked that Lucy was dressed lighter than her sister. Apparently she wasn't to fight. He gently cleared his throat to get the girls' attention.

Susan blushed when she saw Caspian standing in front of her, his face lit by the soft light emitted from the candles on the wall. Lucy looked at her sister and smiled, sure that Caspian had not noticed.

"I wanted to wish you both luck," he said to them. His light accent echoing in the hollow tunnel.

"Thank you," both girls responded. Caspian looked up at the horse they were securing a saddle to. Susan followed his eyes and blushed again.

"I hope you don't mind," she said shyly. "Your professor said it would be okay and Alida agreed." Caspian smiled. He walked up to the horse and gently patted her on the head. They had been through so much together and he was sure she would help them on their journey.

"Destier has always served me well. You are in good hands," he said as he turned to look at them.

"Or hooves," Lucy added with a chuckle. Caspian offered Lucy his hand and helped her into the saddle. She situated herself comfortably and looked down at the other two. Caspian offered his hand to Susan and helped her into the saddle in front of Lucy. She smiled thankfully at him and grabbed the reins in her hand.

"Ride safely," he told her.

"We will," she said, staring at him. Caspian broke the eye contact and reached toward his belt. He removed her horn and held it up to her.

"Maybe it's time you had this back."

"Hold onto it," she told him with a smile. "You might need to call me again." Caspian chuckled as she dug her heels into Destier's side, causing the horse to gallop away.

"You might need to call me again?" Lucy asked with disbelief and a chuckle.

"Oh be quiet," Susan yelled behind her. Lucy could hear the smile in her voice.

* * *

Aubrey walked quietly into the area of the How that had been their living quarters for the past week. Inside, she saw Peter putting his armor on. Her soft footsteps alerted him to a presence. He turned around and smiled at her. She tried to return it, but her heart felt too heavy.

"I'm not comfortable with this plan," she told him quietly.

Peter could see the tears in her eyes and in a matter of seconds he crossed the room and enveloped her into a hug. Aubrey wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face into his chest. She wanted to stay like this forever. She wanted to forget that they were in the middle of a war and that the man she cared most deeply about was getting ready to fight a dangerous battle.

"I'm not either," he told her softly. "But I have complete trust in Susan and Lucy and I know they . . ." Aubrey pulled away from him slightly, enough to look into his eyes. She smiled slightly at his inability to think about himself.

"Not that," she told him. "I trust them too and I know they'll find Aslan. I'm worried about you." Peter's eyes softened.

"You know, you shouldn't worry so much, you'll get wrinkles," he told her with a smile. He traced her forehead with his index finger. Aubrey loved the feeling, she loved everything about him, but she swatted his finger away playfully.

"Well let them come then," she said as she snuggled closer to him. She rested her head against his chest once more as his arms wrapped tighter around her body. "Because, as long as you keep putting yourself in danger I'm going to keep worrying." They stood in silence for a while, just holding each other.

"I have to do this Rey," he told her gently. She sighed and nodded her head, she knew he would.

"At least take my chain mail," she said, stepping away from him again. Peter scrunched his nose in dislike. She rolled her eyes at him.

"No," he told her gently. "There's no way I can fight properly knowing you're not as safe as you can be." Aubrey just stared at him. Her mind was blank with a retort. "I need you to do this for me."

Seeing the intense look in his eyes, she nodded her head in surrender. Then she leaned forward, standing on her toes, and kissed him softly on his lips. Peter grabbed her tighter around her waist and helped pull her to him. They both pulled away with bright smiles on their faces. Peter, with his arms still wrapped tightly around Aubrey, pulled her to the floor where they sat, wrapped in each others arms. Peter dreaded the moment he would have to leave her to fight.

* * *

The sun was shinning brightly, warming the faces of the troops gathered to watch the fight between Miraz and Peter. Aubrey scowled at the ball of fire above them. Why should it be such a beautiful day when she was feeling so terrible?

Aubrey stood off to the side of the stone area where the fight would take place. She could see the archers standing on the walls of the How, ready to fight at a moments notice. On the ground below them were their foot soldiers, also ready. She looked around the area for Caspian, he should have been there by now.

She saw Alida jogging out from the How and towards her. When Alida looked up, she shook her head slowly. Aubrey had sent her into the How to find Caspian, but to no avail. They would just have to do this without him. Out of breath, Alida reached her side. Aubrey tried to smile at her but it just wouldn't stay on her face, she was too worried about Peter.

Roars and cheers echoed across the field as Miraz and a few of his Lords exited their tents and entered the area. Miraz waved arrogantly at them, confident he would win this battle hands down. He reached his side of the arena and looked across at the Narnians. Once he won, he would wipe them out along with his treacherous nephew. A flash of red caught his eye and he noticed for the first time his daughter standing with them. When had she decided to join the Narnians? He hadn't even known she was missing. He gritted his teeth in anger at the thought of her betrayal, she would need to be taught a lesson. He grabbed the closest Lord by his shirt collar.

"Should it appear to be going poorly . . ." Miraz glanced at the crossbow in the other man's hands.

"Understood, My Lord . . ."

Another roar, this time closer, echoed from the Narnians as Peter and Edmund exited the How. Aubrey's heart fluttered at how handsome Peter looked, but it was quickly wiped away as her fear took hold. This was really happening. He could really get hurt, or worse killed. Peter and Edmund reached Alida and Aubrey. Peter tried giving her an encouraging smile, but it did nothing for Aubrey's nerves. With one last look at her, Peter unsheathed his sword. He looked at Edmund who handed him his helmet. As he walked forward to meet Miraz in the center of the stone arena, he placed it on his head. Edmund stepped back and stood next to Alida with Aubrey on her other side.

Peter and Miraz reached each other and began circling, attempting to catch the other off guard.

"There is still time to surrender," Miraz told him superiorly.

"Well, feel free," Peter said with hatred.

With a roar of anger, Peter and Miraz launched themselves at one another. Aubrey turned her head away and bit her lip worriedly with the first clash of their swords. She felt every strike was like a paper cut to her heart, not enough to cripple her but it stung her heart like crazy.

They continued fighting. Slashing and thrusting, each trying to wound the other. Peter ran onto one of the jagged rocks surrounding them and jumped at Miraz. Miraz blocked Peter easily. Peter rolled on the ground and came up behind Miraz. Quickly, he hit Miraz on the back with the butt of his sword. Miraz swung his sword in blind anger, hitting Peter with the butt of it. Aubrey flinched and closed her eyes as Peter landed on the ground. There was a loud yell and Aubrey opened her eyes to see Miraz clutching his leg as Peter stood above him. He glared angrily back at one of his Lords. Turning back to the fight, Miraz swept his foot quickly causing Peter to hit the hard stone once again. With agility that surprised them all Miraz was back on his feet. He brought his foot down on Peter's shield, causing Peter to yell out in pain. Miraz swung his sword to hit Peter, but he rolled out of the way. There was a sharp sound of metal on rock as Peter continued to roll away from his deadly blows. From the ground, Peter held out his foot, tripping Miraz. Quickly they both stood up and stared at one another. Aubrey noticed that Peter's shield arm was hanging limply at his side. Peter's eyes quickly looked up and Aubrey saw fear pass through them. She followed his gaze and saw Caspian, with Susan behind him, riding up to the stone arena. She exchanged worried glances with Edmund and Alida.

"Does his highness need a respite," Miraz asked mockingly. Peter glanced from him to the others.

"Five minutes?" he asked with pain in his voice.

"Three!" yelled Miraz.

Peter walked slowly to the entrance to the arena where Aubrey was waiting for him. Once he reached her, she threw her arms around him, careful not to touch his wounded arm.

Miraz regarded them from across the arena. He beckoned the closest Lord to him.

"Watch them, General Glozelle. She is the key to his pain." Glozelle nodded his head in understanding.

Aubrey led Peter to a stone bench and sat him down as Caspian and Susan reached them. Edmund immediately came forward and examined Peter's arm. Peter looked up at Susan as she hopped down from the saddle.

"Lucy?" he asked with sad eyes.

"She got through," she said not only reassuring Peter, but Aubrey, Edmund and Alida too. "With a little bit of help," she added, looking at Caspian.

"Thank you," Peter said earnestly. Caspian nodded his head.

"You were busy." The two of them shared a smile.

"You better get up there," Peter said to Susan, glancing at the How. "Just in case. I don't expect the Telmarines to keep their word." Susan nodded and hugged Peter. He groaned and Susan quickly let go.

"Sorry," she mumbled. She began to run away but Caspian's voice stopped her.

"Susan!" She turned around. "Take Alida," he said, gently pushing his cousin towards her. Alida stared at him angrily while digging her heels into the soft ground. She did not want to be hid away like some little girl. She had proved herself enough to him that she was a good fighter. She deserved this chance to fight.

"She's wicked with a crossbow," Caspian said with a laugh. Alida's eyes grew and she hugged him before rushing off with Susan to the How. Once the girls disappeared, Peter turned his attention to Edmund who was still checking his arm. Peter turned to look at Aubrey and saw her chewing on her nails. It was a nervous habit she developed in the past year. Peter chuckled and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to him. She smiled weakly and sat down next to him. He groaned when Edmund pushed down on a spot on his shoulder. Peter looked up at him.

"I think it's dislocated," he said. He looked across the arena at an angry and sweating Miraz. "What do you think happens back home if you die here?" he asked no one in particular. Edmund pushed down on his shoulder. Aubrey heard a loud crack and Peter winced in pain.

"You'll have to think on that later," Edmund told him. Peter smiled at his brother.

Miraz stood and entered the arena once more. Peter walked forward. Edmund offered him his helmet but Peter shook his head no. It was hard enough to see with that thing on. Aubrey came up to him and hugged him once more.

"Be safe," she told him gently. Peter nodded. He was halfway to the arena when he turned around and ran back to her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and kissed her passionately. Caspian and Edmund stared at them in shock. When had that happened? They both thought. After a minute, they broke apart. Peter walked back into the arena with a new strength. Aubrey stood dazedly at the edge. Edmund, with a chuckle, pulled her away and placed her between him and Caspian.

Without giving him time to think, Peter attacked Miraz with a quick slice. He barely dodged the blow but came up quick next to Peter. He hit him with his shield repeatedly, all the while pushing him back. With one last hit, Miraz knocked Peter to the floor. Miraz ran at him, trying to end it there. With a quick roll, Peter was out of the way of Miraz' path. He stuck his foot out, tripping the fake King once more. They both quickly rolled to their feet and stared at one another. Suddenly, Miraz ran forward. Peter blocked his blow with his sword and swung his hands around, effectively knocking Miraz' sword from his hands. It landed behind Peter with a loud thud. Miraz tried to run at it, but Peter blocked his way. Miraz then ran at Peter, his shield held high. He thrust his shield at Peter, but Peter easily knocked it away. Miraz raised his shield, ready to hit him again. It was then that Peter saw his opportunity. He thrust his sword forward trying to jab at Miraz. Miraz jumped out of the way and knocked Peter's sword from his hand with his shield. Peter's sword landed with a loud clang just to his left. Before he could run for it, Miraz ran at him, his shield raised. He thrust his shield forward with the intent of hitting Peter, but Peter grabbed the shield around the edge and sung it around, trying to knock it from his hands. Peter felt a sharp pain hit him on the side of his head and saw Miraz' elbow from the corner of his eye. Miraz held tight on the shield and leaned into it, casing Peter to slam into the pillar behind him. Dazed, Peter saw Miraz pick up his fallen sword and swing it at his head. Peter ducked and heard the sword hit the stone above him. Reaching out, Peter slammed his fist into Miraz' wounded leg. Miraz fell to the ground with a yell clutching his wound. He dropped the sword from his hands and Peter quickly picked it up, pointing it to Miraz' chest.

"Respite! Respite!" he called to Peter with hurt eyes.

"Now's not the time for chivalry Peter!" Edmund yelled to him from the sidelines. Peter looked over to them, hesitating. He looked back at Miraz and lowered the sword in his hand. He turned his back and walked away. Miraz smiled wickedly, he reached over and picked up the other discarded sword.

"Peter!" Aubrey yelled with all her might. "Look out!"

Peter turned around just as Miraz was swinging his sword at him. He dodged just in time and grabbed the sword in Miraz' hand. He twisted his hand and stabbed Miraz with his own sword, just under his arm. Miraz fell to the ground, clutching his wound. Peter held both swords at Miraz' throat, but hesitated in killing him. Miraz grinned up at him mockingly.

"Too cowardly to take a life?" He asked with a smile.

"It's not mine to take," Peter said. He turned to the others and held Miraz' sword out to Caspian. Caspian stepped forward and took the sword from his hand. Peter sheathed his own sword and walked out of the arena where he was met by Edmund and Aubrey. Edmund clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations. Aubrey just hugged him tightly again, determined to never let go. Peter placed a chaste kiss on her lips and turned back to Caspian. They couldn't hear what was being said between the uncle and nephew, but they saw Miraz bow his head as Caspian raised his sword. But to the surprise of them all, Caspian stuck the sword into the ground in front of Miraz. Miraz stared up at his nephew in disbelief. Slowly, Caspian turned and walked back towards the others. The Narnians around them cheered and yelled at their victory. Just as Caspian reached them, a loud roar could be heard echoing through the Telmarine soldiers.

"Treachery!" yelled one of the Lords. "They have shot him! They murdered our King! To arms!" They all turned to see the lifeless body of Miraz slumped against the Lord. An arrow with bright red feathers sticking out of his back. They all glanced up to Susan who looked down on the scene below curiously. The Lords all ran to their positions and began to march forward.

Peter shared a look with Caspian and they both nodded. Caspian hopped onto his horse and rode away into the How. Aubrey moved so she was standing to the right of Peter and Edmund was to his left. Not a word was said between them. They all knew something like this would most likely happen. They just hoped this battle had been enough to get Lucy some more time. Peter glanced first at Edmund then at Aubrey. Then he started to count.

"One, two, three . . ."

**

* * *

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I loved writing it. Especially the parts with Peter and Aubrey. Those two hold such a soft spot in my heart. lol. **

**Please review once you finished reading this. I love hearing what you guys have to say. And I must say I was very happy with the amount of reviews I got for the last chapter. They all really brought a smile to my face and I just want to say that you guys are awesome! So let's do the same with this chapter, huh? =)  
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	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Three weeks! How atrocious! Please forgive me? I know this chapter isn't long but I'm really getting swamped with work. I'm sorry.**

** I tried to do things differently this chapter. I'm not very good and writing fighting scenes so I decided to do this battle from the perspectives of all the characters. I hope you guys like it. So . . . on with the chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it! =)**

* * *

"Four, five, six . . ." Caspian counted silently to himself. He was galloping on the back of his horse, his sword held high, through the under-parts of the How. He could hear the pounding of hundreds of feet and hooves behind him. The sound was mixed with his own heart pounding in his chest. The time had come, and today the Narnians would be free.

* * *

"Archers! Take aim!" Susan yelled over the roar of the marching armies below. A loud thunderclap echoed across the field and she saw a large hole in the ground appear from one of the Telmarine war machines. She could feel the vibrations through the How and had to hold her balance as the armies marched nearer and the boulders got closer. She looked down to where Peter, Edmund and Aubrey stood still, watching the approaching armies. She then looked to the woods to her right and hoped that Lucy was okay and that she would find Aslan. They had run out of time.

* * *

"Seven, eight, nine . . ." Peter continued to count, loud enough for Aubrey and Edmund to hear. "Get ready!" He yelled. Aubrey unsheathed her sword and held it in front of her, ready to intercept the incoming army. Edmund pulled two swords from his sides and circled them in his wrists, warming up his muscles. In the short amount of time they had been back, Edmund had gotten really good at duel-wielding. They stood their ground, waiting for the next phase of their plan to take action.

* * *

"Ten." Caspian finished silently. "Now!" he yelled with every fiber of his being. The army behind him roared and began smashing the pillars surrounding them. Caspian brought down his swords across the first, then the second, after the third he lost count. He could hear the large rocks falling behind him and hoped none of his men were getting caught in them. Up ahead he saw two fauns holding onto a piece of rope. When they saw Caspian and the army, they tugged hard and pulled down a secret exit. Caspian broke onto the surface behind the first wave of the Telmarine army. He smiled wickedly as he watched man after man fall into the caved in ground. The trap was more of a success than they could have hoped for. He turned around and met a Telmarine in full armor. And so it begins, he thought bitterly as he cut the man down.

* * *

Susan watched as many fell into the large hole. With a fierce speed she notched an arrow to her bow and took aim at the soldiers now rushing for Caspian and his fleet.

"Fire!" she yelled and let loose her arrow. She smiled as it dug itself into the man's chest. Without a second thought she notched her next arrow and took aim and let it loose. She heard a whizzing past her ear and looked over her right shoulder. There in the rock behind her was a crossbow arrow. She looked down and saw at least twenty soldiers sneaking their way towards the archers.

"To the right!" she yelled. Half of their archers turned and took aim at the Telmarines. With a loud _whoosh_, the archers let loose their arrows. The arrows met their marks, sending more than half of the Telmarines to the ground. The others scattered, running back toward their marching army.

Another loud thunderclap reached Susan's ears. The boulders were getting closer. Susan looked to her left at Alida. The young girl was firing off arrow after arrow. Caspian had been right, she was really useful. Susan noticed the small girl had tears in her eyes and that her cheeks were slightly pink. Susan was filled with affection and wanted to drop her bow and embrace the girl, but there was a war going on. Susan turned away reluctantly and let loose another one of her arrows. Even with the distance and the sounds of war echoing from all around, Susan could have sworn she heard the arrow pierce the man's flesh and his cry of pain as he hit the ground.

* * *

Alida stood still, hardly believing her eyes. She watched as the man she knew as General Glozelle clutched tightly to her fathers body and helped lower him to the ground. Sticking out of his back was one of Susan's arrows. Alida turned her head slightly, just enough to see the shock across Susan's face. She could hear yells coming from the field below, but nothing registered in her brain. She stared at the body of her father lying on the stone ground. As much as she hated the man, she didn't want to see him dead. She heard Susan yell something but couldn't move. All she could do was stare at her fathers' body. She felt someone grab her wrist and push her against the wall at their backs. She looked down into Trumpkin's warm brown eyes. She placed her fingers to her cheeks and felt wetness. She pulled her hand away and felt the tears pouring from her eyes.

She numbly watched as every archer and crossbow wielder fitted arrows to their weapons. They took aim and waited for their orders. After what seemed like forever, she saw Susan's mouth move and suddenly, every arrow was loosed. Alida turned her head away, she couldn't bear to watch the arrows meet their marks.

A loud thunderclap brought Alida's attention back to the battle. She could see her fathers' war machines wreaking havoc below. The How vibrated with every boulder that crashed down. Alida had to put her arm out behind her, against the cool, rock wall, to steady her balance. She looked down below and saw Caspian, on horseback, riding through the on-coming soldiers. She watched as he fought man after man. She shook her head clear it and reached for her crossbow. She had to finish what she started. She notched her arrow and took her place next to Trumpkin. Taking aim, she let loose the arrow, not even bothering to see if it met its target.

"To the right!" she heard Susan yell. She looked down and saw a number of soldiers making their way towards the How. They were trying to sneak up so they could get a better shot at the archers. Alida was too far to the left to help so instead she returned her gaze to the battle below. She shot arrow after arrow at the treacherous men who had betrayed her father.

* * *

Peter slashed his sword sideways, cutting into the stomach of the man in front of him. The man fell to the ground, unmoving. Peter looked to his right and saw Aubrey not to far away. She didn't appear to be hurt and was fiercely battling two soldiers. Peter wasn't worried. She was very skilled and he had confidence that she would be the victorious one.

Another man ran at Peter with a loud cry. Peter unwillingly turned his gaze away from Aubrey to block the man's strike. Just as Peter was going in for the kill, something silver appeared through the man's chest. He looked up at Peter in surprise to find the same emotion etched on the young King's face. The man fell to the ground with a groan and on the other side of him stood a smiling Caspian.

"I had it sorted," Peter told him with a glare that was counteracted by his smile. He didn't know when it happened, but he and Caspian had somehow become friends. Caspian smiled back at him.

Peter glanced up to the top of the How. He locked eyes with Susan.

"Lucy?" he mouthed to her. She shrugged her shoulders while looking around the battle field. She shook her head. Peter sighed heavily. If she didn't return soon, they were done for.

"Having a little break?"

Peter turned to see Edmund standing next to him. Peter could see blood stains on his brothers' clothing but didn't know if it was his own or someone else's.

"We need some more time." He said, looking between Caspian and Edmund. "For Lucy."

"Draw them in." Edmund said. "We can hold them off if we barricade ourselves inside."

Peter looked to Caspian for his opinion. The older boy shrugged.

"Fall back!" Peter yelled as loud as he could. Edmund and Caspian disappeared into the battle to spread the order. "To the How!" he yelled to the soldiers passing by. The Narnian army turned and ran, following their Kings' orders. Peter turned and saw Aubrey running towards him. When she was close enough, he reached out his hand and clasped hers tightly. They were halfway to the How, Caspian and Edmund just in front of them, when a large shadow flew over their heads. Peter looked up and saw a large boulder. He followed it in horror with his eyes as it crashed into the entrance to the How. The four of them stopped dead in their tracks, watching as the rock entranceway crumbled and buried three of their soldiers.

* * *

Susan saw the boulder flying towards the How.

"Brace yourselves!" She yelled. All of the archers grabbed on to something solid to steady themselves.

Trumpkin grabbed with one hand onto a root sticking out of the wall and with his other, he held Alida's thin wrist. The boulder hit the How with such force, knocking all of the archers to their knees. Alida smiled thankfully at the dwarf. There was a crumbling sound and Alida looked up, wide-eyed, as the rock Susan was standing on began to crumble.

Susan reached for Trufflehunter's hand as she felt the rock beneath her give way. With a sigh of relief, she felt his warm fuzzy hand in her own. She looked down at the twenty foot drop, thankful for her luck. Trufflehunter groaned as he tried to lift Susan back up, but her palm was sweaty and he could feel her slipping. Susan glanced around for something to hang on to, but before she could find anything, she felt herself falling.

* * *

"Susan!" Peter and Edmund yelled at the same time as they watched their sister falling.

Caspian ran forward, not even thinking. He reached the base of the How just in time and Susan fell into his arms, knocking them both to the ground.

"Caspian!" she said, shocked. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a hug, which he returned.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her, looking her over for any obvious injuries.

"Am I hurt?" she asked with disbelief and a small smile. "I should be the one asking you that." They both chuckled. Caspian stood and helped her to her feet. Peter, Edmund and Aubrey came running up, each of them hugging Susan.

They broke apart and turned to survey the battle field around them. Many of the Narnians were still fighting strong. Peter glanced at Edmund and together they unsheathed their swords. Aubrey and Caspian followed suit as Susan notched an arrow to her bow. Together, the four of them ran into the battle. They were going to finish this.

* * *

Edmund looked around. He could see Susan battling fiercely with her bow. She was doing things that he didn't even know were possible. He admired his older sister for her bravery and spirit. After cutting down another soldier, Edmund's eyes searched for his brother. He found him just a little further ahead fighting back to back with Aubrey. No surprise there he thought to himself. His eyes scanned the battle for Caspian, but there was no sign of him.

* * *

Caspian was battling two men at once. They kept pushing him back, and if he wasn't careful, he would trip and fall. Caspian lunged forward, digging his sword into the abdomen of the man in front of him. He pulled his sword out and the man fell to the ground. The second man launched himself at Caspian in anger. The force surprised him and he staggered backwards. He felt the ground slip from under his feet and suddenly he was staring up at his attacker from the base of the pit they had created. The man jumped into the pit and landed just before Caspian. He raised his sword, ready to strike.

"General Glozelle?" Caspian asked, confused. The man hesitated, staring at Caspian. He had known this boy since he was a baby. He didn't want to kill him, but Caspian had made himself an enemy by allying with the Old Narnians. Glozelle's moment of hesitation was all Caspian needed. He reached his hand out to his fallen sword, but before he could strike at the General, a tree root shot out from the ground. It caught General Glozelle around the waist and flung him high into the air. Caspian didn't even bother to see where he landed. He stood up and began to climb out of the pit. A hand was thrust into his face, and he looked up into the smiling face of Peter. Once out of the pit, Caspian looked around in amazement. All around them, the trees were coming to life. He saw the destroyed Telmarine war machines discarded and useless. The Telmarines were running away in fear, back through the woods.

Peter raised his sword. "For Aslan!" he yelled to cheers and yelps. Together, they charged after the retreating army.

* * *

Aubrey ran as fast as she could behind Peter. They were weaving in and out of the trees, chasing after the retreating army.

"They're headed for Beruna!" she yelled to him.

"Why are they going there?" Susan asked as she appeared next to Aubrey.

"If they can cross the river and get back to the castle, they'll be able to recuperate and attack when it's convenient for them." Susan nodded her head in understanding. "And besides, once they reach the castle, there's no touching them. They've already proved that once."

"I wish we would have thought to place some of our army at the other side of the bridge." Edmund called to them from over his shoulder.

They continued running. They could see the last of the Telmarine soldiers running ahead of them. They heard a loud roar as the trees started to thin out and Aubrey pushed herself harder. Aslan, she thought happily. They skidded to a halt at the base of the bridge. All around them, Narnian and Telmarine soldiers were frozen in place. Aubrey could see the remnants to the bridge gliding down the river. She looked across and saw Lucy standing next to Aslan. She smiled brightly at the young girl. Lucy had done it, she had found Aslan.

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**A/N: Okay I hoped you guys liked it. I'm sorry it's kind of short but I've been so busy with school work. Ug. Only three more weeks and I'm done. Then I can focus on this and my other stories. So I will warn you, the updates will be slow in the next couple of weeks. All I ask is that you guys be patient with me. I'd really appreciate it. Oh, that and some reviews . . . please? Thanks and you guys are wonderful!!!!!! =)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Please please please please please read and REVIEW! I really appreciate it. I apologize ahead of time for any spelling or grammatical errors. It's really late and I am running on such a lack of sleep. Lol. Thanks Luli Cullen, my only reviewer for the last chapter . . . . this one is for you! =)**

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Aubrey walked forwards. Each step took her closer and closer to Aslan. She glanced up at him then quickly bent her head. His piercing gaze seemed to be going right through her and she had the feeling that he was disappointed in them all. When she, Caspian and the Pevensies reached him, they all quickly knelt down, bowing their heads in respect. Aslan stared at each of them as if calculating them.

"Rise, Kings and Queens of Narnia," he said. His voice was a deep growl. Peter, Edmund and Susan hesitantly stood. They had mirrored looks of pure happiness and shame radiating off of them. "All of you," Aslan added looking at Caspian.

Caspian glanced on either side of himself, expecting another king or queen to be there. He looked up to Aslan with scared eyes. Aubrey nudged him and he stood.

"I do not think I am ready," said Caspian in a hesitant and sorrowful voice. He looked up at Aslan through his brown bangs.

"And it is for that very reason I know you are," Aslan told him with a smile, one which Caspian returned.

Aubrey smiled at them from her spot on the ground. Aslan looked down and chuckled.

"My, my. Lady Aubrey, do forgive me for leaving you out," Aubrey laughed at the great lion.

"No forgiveness needed, Aslan," she said with a wink as she stood. Just as Aubrey got to her feet, the sound of bagpipes reached their ears. The teenagers looked around in confusion as Aslan let loose a deep chuckle. Aubrey was scanning the woods, trying to see who was joining them, but she saw nothing. She heard Alida, who had just joined them, gasp and followed the younger girl's gaze to the ground. There at their feet was a battalion of mice, holding poor Reepicheep on a makeshift stretcher. Lucy quickly bent down and deposited a drop of her cordial into his tiny mouth. With a gasp and a cough, Reepicheep sat up. His fellow mice grabbed him and steadied him on his feet. Reepicheep looked around in confusion, clearly not sure of how he had gotten there. He glanced Aslan and quickly bent into a deep bow. His fellow mice followed his lead.

"Hail Aslan!" he said while straightening himself up. "It is a great hon—" Before he could fully right himself, he lost his balance. The other mice grabbed his arms and steadied him once again. Reepicheep looked around in confusion. When he looked behind him, he wailed in despair.

"I am completely out of competence!" he said outraged. "I must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion," he added with an apologetic look to Aslan. The great lion chuckled at the small mouse. Reepicheep looked up at Lucy with pleading eyes.

"Perhaps a drop more?" he asked.

Lucy looked at him sadly. "I don't think it works that way."

"It becomes you well, Brave One," Aslan said with a smile.

"All the same, Great King, I regret that I must withdraw," he un-strapped his sword from around his waist. "For a tail is the honor and glory of a mouse." He bowed down and held his sword up to Aslan.

"Perhaps you think too much of your honor, friend," Aslan said with a knowing smile.

"It is not all for the honor but for climbing and balance too," Reepicheep said with a weak smile. His statement cause Aslan to chuckle again, it even broke a smile onto Aubrey's face.

"If it pleases his Majesty, we will not bear the shame of wearing an honor our chief is denied." One of Reepicheep's men stepped forward holding his sword to his tail. The other mice followed.

Aslan smiled one more time and bent his head towards the mouse. He opened his mouth and a gentle breeze swirled around Reepicheep and before their very eyes, his tail grew back. Reepicheep cheered and clutched his tail in his hands, hardly believing it.

"Not for your honor, Small One, but for the love of your men."

"Oh thank you, my liege! Thank you!" Reepicheep exclaimed happily. He walked off with his battalion. Aubrey smiled as she watched him go. She felt something warm slip into her hand and looked up into Peter's crystal blue eyes.

"Now," Aslan said with excitement in his voice. He turned to look at Lucy. "Where is this dear little friend you have been telling me so much about?" Lucy smiled and turned her gaze just over Susan's shoulder. They all followed her gaze and saw Trumpkin standing at the edge of the river. He had his hands full of swords and was directing the Telmarine army on where to go. With the feeling of someone watching him, he slowly turned to find eight pairs of eyes on him. With a small, encouraging nod from Lucy, Trumpkin put the weapons on the ground and hesitantly walked toward them and kneeled before Aslan.

Aslan roared so loudly that the trees shook and many startled birds flew from their safe havens. The teenagers chuckled at his discomfort as he looked apologetically into Aslan's eyes.

"Do you see him now?" Lucy asked in a smart way. Much like Susan used to talk.

* * *

The trip to the Telmarine castle was a long and tiring one. Aubrey rode in the saddle in front of Peter. Just to their left were Susan and Edmund and behind them were Caspian and Alida. The latter was fast asleep in her cousin's arms. After all, it had been a very long day for her. Riding next to Aslan were Lucy and Trumpkin. Lucy was talking happily with the great lion as Trumpkin sat there uncomfortably. They reached the castle just before dawn. Caspian and Alida led them to the bedchambers, expertly avoiding the one that once belonged to Miraz and his wife.

Aubrey entered her room and was taken by the dark beauty. Silky midnight blue and cream bed sheets graced the large bed. Matching curtains were hanging from the wide open window. A beautiful breeze was blowing in and danced across Aubrey's face. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of finally being back sink in. She walked over to the mahogany wardrobe and opened it wide. Inside were a handful of beautiful dresses. Aubrey would have to thank the seamstress' that worked on these. She pulled one out, a beautiful deep green floor length dress and laid it carefully on her bed. She walked into the adjoining room and found a posh bathroom. The white marble sinks were perfect, not a scratch on them. She smiled as she remembered how careless she used to be in the Golden Age. She thought the craftsmen were going to strangle her if she asked them to replace her sink one more time. Aubrey turned to see a bath already drawn for her. Without a second thought, she removed her dirty, battle dress and slipped into the warm water. She relaxed, letting the water slip up to her chin and closed her eyes as she got lost in the warmth.

_Knock, knock. _

"Aubrey are you in here?" Aubrey's eyes jolted open, had she fallen asleep? She sat up and grabbed a fluffy white towel from the stool next to her. She covered her body with the material just as the door to the bathroom opened. Susan, dressed in a white dress with soft blue accents, walked in and scoffed at her.

"You're still not ready?" She placed her hands on her hips and gave Aubrey a disappointed look.

"I'm almost ready," Aubrey said indignantly. Susan rolled her eyes. She followed Aubrey out of the bathroom and sat down at the mahogany dresser and started pulling out jewelry and other things.

Aubrey quickly slipped into the dress. It felt lovely on her, though not as lovely as the Narnian dresses from the Golden Age, but this was better than nothing.

"Where did all of this come from?" Aubrey asked Susan gesturing to the dresses and the jewelry.

"These rooms were set up for royalty and the such staying here at the castle." Aubrey looked at her with a confused stare. She knew Susan was smart, but how could she possibly know that. Upon seeing Aubrey's face, Susan chuckled and stood up. She walked behind Aubrey and fastened a necklace around her neck.

"Alida told me. I saw her on my way here." Aubrey nodded her head in understanding. Susan guided Aubrey to the stool in front of the mirror on the dresser and started fiddling with her hair. Within moments, Aubrey was presentable and the two girls left her bedchamber.

They joined the others just outside of the dining hall. Peter stared at Aubrey causing her to blush faintly. Aubrey couldn't help but notice that Caspian was trying his hardest not to stare at Susan. Poor boy, she thought. When she reached Peter's side he quickly took her hand and kissed it gently.

"You look beautiful," he told her under his breath. She felt his breath tickle her cheek and blushed more. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.

"And you look very handsome," she smiled at him.

As soon as Lucy and Edmund joined them, they took to their horses once more. They were to ride through the streets in celebration of their victory. Aubrey was hesitant about this idea. She wasn't sure how the Telmarine citizens would react. Caspian and Alida reassured them all, from atop their horses, that not all of the Telmarines supported Miraz.

They rode through the streets towards the center of town. Aubrey was surprised to see so many people, Telmarine and Narnian, come out to congratulate them on their victory. People were looking out from their windows and throwing flower petals to them. It brought a huge smile to her face. After a short ride, they reached their destination. They stopped and dismounted before a large tree. Aubrey stood up at it curiously, it gave her the chills. Seeing her shiver, Peter came up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled contentedly and snuggled closer to him.

They walked off to the side and joined Susan, Edmund, Lucy and Alida. The Telmarines and Narnians gathered closer to hear what was to be said. Caspian stood in the center with Aslan at his side. A hush fell over the crowd and Caspian looked to Aslan hesitantly. The great lion gently shook his head and Caspian turned to address the crowd.

"Narnia belongs to the Narnians, just as it belongs to man," his booming voice reached to every corner of the town. Susan shivered pleasantly at the sound. "Any Telmarines who wish to stay and live in peace are welcome to do so. If you do not wish to stay, Aslan will send you home, to the land of our forefathers." Caspian finished and stepped back in place. He looked at Aslan nervously.

"But it has been so long since we left Telmar!" Someone yelled from the crowd.

"It is not Telmar we are referring to," Aslan said, looking over them all. "The land of which I speak is an island. Your ancestors were sea-faring bandits who stumbled upon a cave that took them from their lands and brought them here. And it is to that island I will send you. It is a good place for any who wish to make a good start."

A quiet murmuring broke out among the crowd. Aubrey watched as many turned to each other, deciding what to do.

"I will go," said a voice. They turned to see General Glozelle step forward. His right arm was tightly bandaged and strapped to his front, but besides that he seemed to be unharmed. "I accept the offer," he said to Aslan.

"As do we," said Alida's mother. In her arms she carried a small bundle, no doubt Alida's little brother. A single tear leaked from Alida's eyes. Lucy grabbed her hand as Edmund wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. From Edmund's other side, Susan reached over and grasped her other hand.

Aslan nodded his head to the small group, his eyes sad.

"Because you have spoken first, your future in that world will be good," he told them quietly but loud enough for all to hear. He opened his mouth and a gentle breeze surrounded them. The Queen turned one last look to her daughter and then turned and followed the others towards the giant tree. Just as they reached the base, they disappeared. There were shocked gasps and worried murmurs now being emitted through the crowd.

"How do we know he's not sending us to our deaths?" yelled an angry voice from the crowd. Caspian looked angry, glaring at the area the voice had come from. Alida was now silently crying and Edmund was whispering gently to her.

"Sire, if my example can be of any service, I will take my men with me with no delay." Aubrey looked down to see Reepicheep and his men standing before Aslan.

"Noble as that may be, you are needed here," Peter suddenly said. Aubrey looked up at him and could see hesitation and worry in his eyes. "We will go," he said firmly. He looked over his shoulder to Susan, Lucy and Edmund, all who were staring back at him confusedly. Aubrey stared up at him in disbelief. They had just gotten here and now they were leaving. Aubrey couldn't help but feel angry and betrayed. She looked over at Caspian who was staring at the ground. She didn't have to read his eyes to know that he was hurting. Maybe he cared more for Susan than she previously thought. And by the way Susan kept glancing at Caspian, she had a feeling the other girl felt the same way.

Reepicheep stepped back slowly. He was sad to see his new friends go.

There was a sniffle from behind them. Alida broke out of Edmund's grasp and wiped the tears from her cheek with her hand. She stepped forward and stood in front of Aslan.

"I think my cousin is going to need some help," she said, glancing over to Caspian with a smile. "Uniting two vary different people is going to be difficult. The Pevensie's need to stay," she said firmly, once again staring intently at Aslan.

"Send me."

Caspian stared at her in disbelief. She was twelve years old, she was much too young to leave and go off on her own.

Aslan nodded at her and opened his mouth once more. Alida closed her eyes as the warm breeze surrounded her lightly blowing her red braids into the air behind her. When she opened them again, she looked at Aslan thankfully.

She slowly walked towards Caspian. "I need to do this Cas," she said gently. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, hugging him like she did as a little girl. Caspian draped his arms over her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Alida hesitantly pulled away. She turned to look at the Pevensie's and Aubrey.

"It was wonderful to have met you," she said to them all. "I dreamed something like this as a little girl." She smiled and hugged them all. Once more she walked towards Aslan. She stood in front of the large tree. With a reassuring nod from Aslan, she sucked in a deep breath and walked towards the tree.

Caspian watched as his cousin disappeared. After that, more people stepped forward to accept Aslan's offer. Caspian noted that most of them were his uncle's Lords and their families. They finished just as the sun began to set. Worn out and sad, Caspian led the parade back to the castle. He tried to smile for the crowds, but he missed Ali already. Back at the castle, he took diner in his room. For most of the night he sat cross legged on his bed and thought of his memories of his cousin. With a heavy heart, he fell asleep in his clothes from that day, but a nagging voice in the back of his head knew that today was not the last he saw of his cousin.

* * *

Alida continued to walk forward and before she knew it, she was standing in a very large garden, surrounded by flowers and bushes. She looked around curiously at the many different and exotic flowers. She stuck her hand out to touch a particularly beautiful red one, but just as her hands came into contact with it, she felt a sharp pinch and looked down to see a red dot of blood on her finger.

Childishly, she stuck her tongue out at the offending flower. She continued to walk forward and eventually found an exit in the never ending garden. She pushed her way through and was met with beautiful and warm sunshine. Though not as warm as it is in Narnia, she thought to herself. She heard a shuffling noise and looked up to see a man dressed curiously with a large pair of scissors in his hands. The man froze and stared at her.

"Hello," she said with a smile. The man jumped and dropped his scissors. With a muffled scream, he ran towards the large stone house.

"I can't look that hideous," Alida said to no one in particular. She followed the path of the strange man with her eyes. She gasped when she saw the magnificent castle in front of her. It was an oddly shaped castle, being very wide and not so tall. Alida followed the stone path towards a large wooden door. Curious, she thought, where is the gate? She stood in front of the door expectantly.

"Well, isn't anyone going to let me in?" She asked no one in particular. She impatiently began tapping her foot, listening to the light clicking her shoes made against the stone. It was something she had watched her mother do many times when she was young. At the thought of her parents, Alida felt her heart drop for a moment. For some reason, she missed them. Though I'm better off without them, she thought bitterly.

Just after she began her tapping, the door began to open. Finally, she thought. The door opened wide and in the doorway stood a curious looking old man with odd clothes, just like the other man. He wore round mirrors on the bridge of his nose that made is eyes pop out. Alida stared at him for a moment then smiled.

Professor Diggory Kirke opened his door to find a young girl standing on his doorstep. Even though it had been many years here and many centuries there, Professor Kirke would recognize those clothes anywhere. He stared at the well dressed young girl smiling up at him.

"Oh boy."

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**A/N: Okay so I'm not going to lie. I was really disappointed with the reviews for last chapter. I only had one! Ug. Thank you so much Luli Cullen. You're constant reviews always make me happy. This may be the last chapter I get out for the next two weeks (it depends on how I feel during the weekend). I hope you guys liked it. **

**Do you want me to write about Alida's adventures? Let me know in a review please. **

**Thanks again for reading! =)**


	11. Author's Note

Hey guys. Sorry for the lack of updates but unfortunately my computer decided to get a virus two weeks ago and I have yet to sort it out.

I'm not sure for how much longer I'll be without my computer but I will keep you guys posted.

Unfortunately I can't update until I get it back since all my files are on it. Thanks for your patience and I hope to have my computer back soon and a new chapter uploaded.

- Love-Pink26


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I know I know. It has been sooooo long. But I have my computer back (yayyyy!) and it is once again virus free. I won't bore you all with my pathetic excuses and apologies. I'll get right to the story and hope that you guys are still reading. I appreciate those of you who stuck with me during my long absence! =)**

"Good morning everyone," Lucy chirped happily as she entered their private garden. It had been a month since the defeat of the Telmarine dictators and the Narnian rulers had adjusted to the change as best they could. They had come to an unspoken agreement that they would all meet in this place, surrounded by the flowers, for breakfast. It was a time for them to be alone, as a family. Lucy sat herself in the vacant seat next to her sister and reached for a muffin.

"How can you be so cheerful," Edmund asked. His voice muffled by the table that his head was resting on. "It's too early," he moaned.

"Ed, it's nearly half past ten," she said with a chuckle. Edmund groaned in return causing chuckles to erupt from the rest.

"Susan," Aubrey asked from her seat next to Peter, "have all the invitations been sent?"

"Oh!" Lucy squealed in happiness, clapping her hands in excitement. "I can't wait for this ball. I daresay we all need a bit of cheering up." Susan smiled at her little sister.

"None more than Caspian," she said in a small voice, glancing over her shoulder at the door. She had been so worried for him these past few weeks. It had been a month since Alida left them and Caspian was still upset. She didn't disagree with him of course, she would be too if it had been one of her siblings, or Aubrey, or even Caspian, though she would only admit that last one to herself. She felt a warm hand upon her own and looked up into the shinning and confident hazel eyes of her sister.

"He will be fine, Su. You just need to give him some time." Susan marveled at how much her sister had grown in the short two months they had been in Narnia. She felt she was looking into the eyes of a much older girl, no woman that had disappeared a long time ago. She couldn't help but feel saddened at the thought of her little sister growing up. But she had some time before her sister would realize it. Susan smiled at her.

"I know Lu, thanks. If you'll excuse me, I have to talk with some of the maids about the decorations."

She stood up from the table and gracefully walked out the door. Lucy watched her a little enviously, wishing she too could walk like that. She was snapped from her thoughts when Aubrey spoke.

"I do wonder when the two of them will start dating," she asked no one in particular.

"What two?" Peter asked before taking a sip of water from his goblet.

"Caspian and Susan silly," Lucy said with a chuckle. Peter's eyes widened and he spat out the water in his mouth.

"Eugh! Gross Peter," Edmund yelled in outrage. Having been seated across from him, poor Edmund, who had just lifted his head from the table to take a bite of toast, got a face full of water from his brother. Aubrey and Lucy were laughing but immediately bit their tongues when Edmund glared at them. It was best not to cross Edmund this early in the morning. Peter didn't even notice the mess he had made. He was staring open mouthed at Aubrey.

"Close your mouth darling," she said as she placed her finger under his chin and closed it for him. "It's not very attractive," she added, the corners of her mouth tugging up in a smile.

"What do you mean, date?" He asked stupidly. Lucy was snickering from beside Edmund, her mouth hidden behind her hands. Even Edmund cracked a small smile.

"You know, date, court, whatever you want to call it,"

"She's too young."

"She's the same age as I am, a month older to be exact, and we're dating," she said, gesturing between herself and Peter.

"He's too old for her. She should be dating people her own age."

"You're a year older than I am. Is it wrong for us?"

"She's too young."

"Peter," Aubrey said exasperated. She knew how protective of his family he was, but he was being ridiculous. Everyone could see how Susan and Caspian stared at one another. Aubrey was just surprised nothing had happened yet. Though she thought Alida's absence might have something to do with it.

"You need to realize that your sister is growing up and it is only natural that she starts developing feelings for," Peter interrupted her with his lips. She wasn't expecting the kiss but she didn't hasten to deepen it. It was only when Lucy and Edmund started groaning that they pulled apart.

"Do you have to do that so early? I've hardly had time to swallow my breakfast and now it's threatening to come back up." Edmund told them, holding his hand over his stomach dramatically. Aubrey picked up a piece of bread and threw it at the younger boys head.

"Aslan help the woman you fall for Edmund Pevensie," she said teasingly. Edmund, being the mature man he is, stuck his tongue out at her. They continued eating in silence, the only distraction coming in the form of a fawn with a letter for Peter. He read the letter silently then excused himself from the table. He had a meeting to attend with some of the Lords. He kissed Aubrey once more and followed the fawn from the garden.

Aubrey watched him leave and couldn't help the smile that took over her face. Being with Peter made her so happy and secure and she loved the last month they spent together. It had contained some of the best moments of her life.

"Rey," Lucy's twinkling voice interrupted her thoughts, "will you come into town with me? I promised Elsa I would stop by to pick out the pattern for my gown."

"Sure, Lu," she said. She took one last bite of her toast with jam and wiped her hands on the napkin on her lap. Together, she and Lucy stood up from the table, waving goodbye to Edmund.

Edmund watched them leave and sighed contentedly at the silence. He laid his head down on the table and a few minutes later, soft snores could be heard.

Susan walked down one of the many passageways of the castle, sighing as she rounded the corner and found herself in an unfamiliar corridor. She felt frustrated. This castle was nothing like the one back in the Golden Age, the castle of Cair Paravel. She turned around, determined to retrace her steps, but after a few minutes of walking, she realized she was more lost than ever. She cursed aloud, very un-Queen like and stamped her foot. She heard a snicker from behind and turned around with a blush.

"Sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed, to the young maid standing in front of her.

"Tis no problem, My Lady," the girl said with a warm smile. "Same thing happened to me for the first year in this castle."

"So what you're saying is that I should expect to get lost for another eleven months," she questioned with a smile, but also a little annoyed.

"No milady, everyone is different. My friend Susa figured out the way of the castle in just three weeks," she walked closer, closing the distance between the two of them. "Then again she had some help from the cook's son," she said with a mischievous smile, causing Susan to chuckle.

"Thank you . . ." she stopped short, realizing she didn't know the young girl's name.

"Talitha," the girl said, smile still on her face. Susan couldn't help but instantly like this girl. There was just something about her personality that Susan liked.

"Well, thank you Talitha. I do fear I am a lost cause though. There are so many corridors and secret doorways, I just don't know what to do." She said, blushing once more. It was a silly thing for a Queen to get lost in her own castle, though this castle wasn't really her castle, she thought.

"I can show you where to go," Talitha offered. Susan smiled gratefully at her. She told her she was to meet some of the maids in the west wing to discuss details of the upcoming ball. As she spoke a knowing smile spread across the young maids face.

"I know of the exact meeting, I was on my way there myself. You could follow me if you like." Susan nodded her head eagerly, happy to have a guide. Together, the two girls walked down the hallway, conversing happily. As they walked, Talitha pointed out key passageways so that Susan would have a better idea of where she was going. Susan thanked her over and over again to which Talitha just smiled and waved her hand.

They arrived at the meeting in record time and Susan marveled at Talitha's ability to weave her way around the castle. The meeting took place and they discussed colors and patterns and guests. After an hours time, they agreed to meet again one week later. Feeling accomplished, Susan left the room, Talitha not far behind her.

"Just follow this passage all the way down, My Lady and it will lead straight to your rooms," she said, gesturing down the corridor ahead of them.

"Susan," she said with a smile. Talitha looked at her curiously.

"I'm sorry, milady?" she asked confused.

"My name is Susan," she said with a wink which caused the young maid to giggle. "I do hope you would join me for tea someday?" Talitha nodded and with a wave, followed some of the senior maids down the opposite corridor. Susan turned and made her way towards her rooms, desperate for her bed and a book. She reached the wing with their bedrooms with no trouble, but as she passed the room that belonged to Alida, she noticed the door was slightly open. She gently pushed the door open and was met with a lavender painted room. On the bed across from her, she saw Caspian sitting with his head in his hands. She walked towards him and gently set herself on the edge of the bed next to him. He didn't move or even seem to notice she had joined him.

"Caspian?" she asked hesitantly, placing her hand on his shoulder. He sighed and looked up at her with weary eyes. She felt her heart break at the hopelessness she saw in them.

"Oh, Caspian!" she said and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. He loosely wrapped his arms around her.

"I miss her." He whispered so quietly that Susan barely heard him.

"Of course you do. She's your cousin." She said, looking once more into his eyes.

"She was more than that, she was my sister."

"What do you mean 'was'? She's not dead Caspian."

"No, but she's lost," his voice cracked with tears.

"She will come back, you have to know that." Susan told him confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" He asked, the hopelessness returning once again.

"We did." She smiled at him. Oh what she would do to see him smile once more, even if that meant leaving Narnia to bring back his cousin. She couldn't help but feel at fault for his pain. It was because of her and her siblings need to stay here that she left.

"It's not your fault." Caspian said, as if he had been reading her mind.

Susan smiled wryly. "How can you be so sure?"

Caspian smiled a little at her joke. Susan felt so happy to have been able to cause it.

"Thank you, Susan." Caspian said, breaking their comfortable silence. He reached out and laced his fingers through her own.

"What for?" she asked, confused.

"For helping," he said with a warm smile, something that had been missing from him for the past month. They stared at one another for some time. Susan didn't know why, but being here with Caspian, just sitting next to him with his hand in her own felt comfortable, it felt right. Their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. The same fawn from breakfast entered and announced that King Peter required a family meeting. Susan stood and pulled Caspian from the bed.

"Peter said family," he reminded her, a little puzzled by her actions.

"And you're practically family. This includes you. We all rule this kingdom together." Caspian smiled at her and together they walked down the hallway, hands still clasped and fingers still laced. Susan couldn't help but notice how her heart soared at the small amount of contact with him and wondered if he felt the same way.

**A/N: And so I am back (finally). I am soooooo sorry. I wish I had a smarter computer, one that knows not to get a virus. But unfortunately I can't train my computer like some can train a dragon. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even though it was long in coming. I promise to have regular updates. My dream is for one every week but if not that it will definitely be out in two weeks. I really hope you guys stuck with this story, I have no plans in abandoning it. Quite the contrary, I have been planning the sequel for some time. But that won't be happening for some time. I still have some plans for this story. ;)**

**Okay, so I'm done with my rambling. Basically what I am trying to say is 1. thanks for sticking with me (those who did) 2. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and 3. Please please please leave me a review and tell me what you think! Until next time then! =) **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I really have no excuse. I'm so sorry! Please read and review. Oh and read the note at the bottom! =)**

* * *

The meeting didn't take very long. They discussed future plans like the rebuilding of Cair Paravel and the future of the Council.

"No offense Cas, but I'd really like to go back to Cair," Lucy said. Caspian smiled at the small girl.

"None taken. Believe me, I'd like to get away from here as soon as possible." Susan looked at him with softened eyes. She couldn't even imagine the horrors he lived through in this castle.

"So it's settled then, we start the construction as soon as possible." Edmund said cheerily. "If we work on it quickly, I think we can have it finished by, early October." There was a murmur of agreement. After another hours' discussion, the meeting came to an end. It was decided that the three Kings would travel to Cair after Caspian's birthday to start the reconstruction. In the following months the two Queens and the Lady would travel there to decorate the place since the boys wanted nothing to do with that.

After the meeting Peter and Lucy went for a ride through the forest and Edmund retreated to his room for a nap before lunch. Caspian left with Trufflehunter discussing some herbs and potions the badger was working on. Susan's eyes followed Caspian's back as he walked the opposite way down the hallway. Before he rounded the corner, he turned back to her and gave her a genuine smile. Susan felt her cheeks redden and dropped her head to try and hide it. She looked up, startled, when she heard tinkling laughter from behind her. She turned to see Aubrey giving her a knowing smile.

"What?" Susan asked, slightly annoyed by the look on her best friends face.

"You have it bad," Aubrey told her, still smiling that annoying smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Susan said as she turned on her heel and walked down the hallway toward the main entrance hall. She heard the clicking of shoes on stones behind her and knew that Aubrey was following her.

"You know, you can admit it" Aubrey told her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Susan repeated. Aubrey sighed huffily and grabbed Susan's arm, effectively stopping her in the hall.

"I grew up with you," Aubrey told her sternly, "not to mention I have lived with you for many confusing years," Susan smiled understanding just how those years were confusing first with the Golden Age then coming back, "you can not hide things from me so easily."

"Please don't say anything, especially to Peter," Susan begged. Aubrey nodded her head in understanding.

"When did it happen?" Aubrey asked, once again smiling her annoying smile, but this time, Susan smiled with her.

"When I first saw him," Aubrey screeched and enveloped Susan in a bone crushing hug. When she let her go, she was smiling so big, Susan was sure her face would freeze that way.

"That is so romantic," Aubrey cooed, causing Susan to laugh. She swatted playfully at Aubrey's arm. The two girls continued down the hallway, happily talking.

* * *

The night of Caspian's birthday party was upon them before they realized it. They were holding a large ball for all of Narnia to attend. Susan smiled as she looked over the decorations in the ball room and out on the terrace and grounds of the Telmarine castle. This was going to be a celebration to remember. Once she was positive everything looked fine, she rushed back to her bedchamber to get ready. Hanging from her wardrobe was a midnight blue floor length gown with soft white accents. It was plain, but Susan loved it. After washing up, she slipped into the dress and sat at her dresser, staring at the jewelry. She placed on her ears a pair of diamond earrings she found and a matching bracelet. There was a soft knock on her door and she called for whoever it was to enter. Lucy walked in wearing an off the shoulder sunny yellow dress her hair was in a long plait down her back. Susan smiled at how perfectly the dress fit her little sister and how beautiful she looked. Behind Lucy was Aubrey wearing a strapless lavender dress her hair was in an elegant bun in the center of her head. She too looked beautiful.

"Thought we'd come by and see if you need any help," Aubrey offered.

"I am hopeless when it comes to my own hair," Susan said sheepishly. Aubrey walked forward and began to weave Susan's hair into an elegant bun that rested at the nape of her neck. When all three girls were dressed and ready, they headed down the staircase that would lead to the ballroom. At the first landing, Susan broke away from the two girls. It was her job to get Caspian. She walked down the hallway and stood in front of his door. She nervously fixed her hair and brushed off invisible pieces of dust and dirt from her dress. She knocked softly and hesitantly on the door. She heard some shuffling from inside the room and suddenly the door was whisked open. Caspian stood in front of her in a pair of plain brown breeches and a puffy sleeved white shirt. He was dressed simply, but he still took her breath away. She looked up at his shaggy brown hair and resisted the urge to run her fingers through it. She didn't even notice the way Caspian was staring at her. She coughed and cleared her throat.

"Are you not ready?" she asked. She mentally slapped herself for how her voice sounded like a tiny squeak.

"Re-ready?" Caspian looked at her.

"Lord Danisk and Lady Ashen are here for dinner. Didn't Edmund tell you?" She smiled inwardly at how perfect that sounded. Caspian continued to stare at her, dumbfounded.

"Boys and their forgetful minds," She said with a smile. "Well you best put something nice on, they are expecting us in ten minutes. I'll wait for you right here." Susan took a step back and regarded him. He looked so adorable when he was confused. Nodding his head, Caspian shut his door slowly, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Out in the hallway, Susan let loose a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Why couldn't she just act normally around him? Everything about him made her jumpy and nervous, but in an excitable way. Not five minutes later, he opened his door once more. Susan's breath hitched when she looked at him. He had exchanged his brown breeches for a pair of black ones and had kept his shirt but added a sleek black vest with shiny silver buttons. He looked even more handsome than before if that were even possible.

"Shall we?" He asked, offering Susan his outstretched hand. She wrapped her arm around his wordlessly and they descended the steps together.

* * *

Peter stood with his arm around Aubrey's waist in the middle of the ballroom. They were waiting for Susan to reach them with Caspian. Edmund was off somewhere flirting with some of the ladies and Lucy was over in the corner dancing with some fauns as they played their flutes. The rest of the guests were mingling around the hall, waiting to surprise their newest King. Peter was happy to see that the Narnians and the remaining Telmarines were getting along very well.

"Why so nervous, darling?" Aubrey asked as she looked into Peter's green-blue eyes.

"Is it that obvious?" He asked with a chuckle. Aubrey just smiled encouragingly, urging him to tell her. He sighed in defeat. "Are you sure it was wise to send Susan to get him. I mean Edmund or myself could have done it."

"Peter, stop worrying."

"But what if . . ." She didn't let him finish. Instead, she silenced him with her lips. They melted into one another and Peter's arm around her tightened. A soft cough from behind them caused them to pull apart.

"Sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty, My Lady, but we just got word that King Caspian and Queen Susan were making their way down the main staircase. They should be here in a few moments." Standing in front of them was a young couple, at least in their early twenties. They were old friends of Caspian's.

"Lord Danisk, Lady Ashen, good to see you again," Peter said while shaking the Lords hand and placing a welcoming kiss on the Lady's cheek. They began to chat lightly but were interrupted as the whole hall fell silent. They looked to the doors and saw them opening slowly. Susan was the first to come into view and she was smiling happily at everyone gathered. When Caspian entered from behind her, the whole hall erupted into cheers and calls.

"Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday!" was being echoed throughout. Caspian stood their, with a dumbfound look. Suddenly his face broke into a wide smile and he looked at Susan accusingly. Susan smiled apologetically and gave him a hug.

"Happy Birthday," she whispered in his ear. Caspian felt a chill roll down his spine as her sweet breath tickled his ear. He pulled back slightly from their hug to look her in the eyes.

"Happy Birthday, Caspian!" As the voice reached them, Caspian and Susan jumped apart. Peter came up and clapped him on the back. Edmund did the same but Aubrey and Lucy gave him a swift hug.

"Thank you, all of you," Caspian said, looking at all of them happily. It was so wonderful to have a truly caring family. He had never, in his life, had something like this done for him. Miraz had never thrown him a party, telling him it was childish and not behavior fit for a future King. Once they had all exchanged their birthday greetings, music started to swirl around them. Aubrey pulled Peter by the arm and led him to the dance floor. Peter was laughing the entire way. Edmund disappeared once again, this time to the refreshments table. Susan watched, shaking her head, as he filled his glass to the brim with wine. In the Golden Age, Edmund loved his wine. She turned back to see that Lucy had also disappeared. She scanned the hall for her golden haired sister, but didn't see her. Knowing Lucy she was outside dancing with the fauns under the stars. Back in the Golden Age, it was one of her favorite things to do. Susan looked back at Caspian and found him staring at her. She blushed at his intense gaze and prayed to Aslan that he hadn't seen it. The song changed to a much sweeter and softer melody and Caspian extended his arm to Susan. She placed her palm in his and he led her to the dance floor. She couldn't help but notice how perfectly she fit into his arms and how they moved, as if one, across the dance floor.

"Thank you, again, for this," he said softly. "I have never had such a grand celebration for my birthday." Susan smiled at him at a loss for words. The song ended and Caspian led her to a small table on the outskirts of the dance floor. She sat down as he went to grab them some drinks. Susan surveyed the dance floor and was glad to see that everyone looked to be having fun.

"May I have this dance, Your Majesty?" Susan looked up into the dark brown eyes of one of the Telmarine Lords she vaguely remembered seeing around the castle. Looking over her shoulder to where Caspian was, she saw him talking to one of the older Lords. The poor man just kept talking, not realizing that Caspian wanted to get away. She chuckled and placed her palm into the hand of the man in front of her. Once dance and then she would go and rescue poor Caspian. The man smiled down at her and led her to the dance floor. He placed his arms around her waist and she in turn placed hers on his shoulders. He was a good dancer, but it felt nothing like they way she danced with Caspian.

"You seem distracted, Queen Susan," Susan discreetly wrinkled her nose at the way this Lord said her name. It sounded like he was trying to be, sexy. Susan looked up at him and smiled apologetically.

"Just a little tired is all," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Tired?" He asked incredulously. "But the night is still young, there is much more . . . fun to be had." As he said the word fun, he pulled her closer to his chest. His hands came to rest at an uncomfortable spot on her back and she placed her arms on his chest to keep some distance. The man leaned his head closer to hers and she could smell something much stronger than wine on his breath. Susan wanted nothing more for the song to end so she could leave this situation, but when the music changed, the man didn't let her go.

"Excuse me," she said quietly. She didn't want to be rude but this man was making her uncomfortable. She pressed her hands against his chest harder to try and pull away but her wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. Susan was getting very nervous now. She looked around for some help. Caspian was still distracted by the old man and didn't see her. Peter was dancing with Aubrey and whispering in her ear, causing her to blush and giggle. Within moments they were wrapped in a kiss and all hope for their help squashed. Susan looked for Edmund but saw him still surrounded by Ladies, his view of his sister and her situation blocked by their fluffy dresses. She looked for Lucy, hoping maybe her sister could help in some way, but she still had not returned from outside. She was starting to really worry, who knew what this man would try and pull next. When she looked up at his face, she saw it coming closer to her own. She stood there in his embrace, horrified as his lips came towards her. She tried pushing at his arms, but they were locked tightly around her waist.

"Ahem," Susan could have cried for joy at that small sound. The Lord stopped what he was doing and looked up angrily at whoever interrupted them. Susan's heart skipped a beat when she saw Caspian standing there, his brown eyes flaming with anger. The young Lord stared at him.

"May I cut in," Caspian gestured at Susan with his arm and Susan smiled happily at him. But the Lord did not let go of her waist.

"We are in the middle of a dance," he pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Are you going to deny your King his birthday request?" Caspian asked calmly, but Susan only had to look in his eyes to see how truly angry he was. The man sighed and reluctantly released Susan. He bowed to her as she curtsied. When they both straightened up the Lord winked at her. Susan shuddered when he turned his back and quickly Caspian wrapped his arms around her. His arms were secure around her waist but not in an uncomfortable way as the Lord's had been.

"It seems I can't leave you alone for five minutes," he said after a few silent moments of dancing. She could hear the teasing note in his voice and smiled cheekily.

"I was going to have one dance then rescue you from that old Lord," she said, "But it seems that I was the one who needed saving." Caspian chuckled. Again, Susan's heart fluttered and she was happy knowing she had caused his smile. He looked down at her once more, his chocolate brown meeting her blue-green.

"Are you okay?" He asked her seriously.

"I am now," she told him, laughing in her head at how cheesy it sounded. Caspian nodded and gently pulled her closer. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and he placed his chin gently on her head. They swayed like that for what felt like forever and Susan hoped it would never end. But like all good things, the music stopped and with that, their swaying. But what happened next, Susan never would have dreamed. They pulled away from each other slightly and were once again staring in each others eyes. Then Susan leaned up and closed her eyes. She felt Caspian move towards her and suddenly their lips met. Susan felt as if she would melt right then and there through his arms. The feel of his warm lips against hers was the best thing in the world. She pulled back and looked at him. He wore a big grin and she felt that his face mirrored her own. He bent towards her once again but stopped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. They looked to see a brightly smiling Aubrey and a weary eyed Peter behind them.

"I call next dance with you Cas," Aubrey called happily. Caspian chuckled and took her hand into his own. Like she had done with Peter, Aubrey pulled Caspian across the floor so they were standing in the middle. Peter looked at Susan and nodded his head in their direction. Susan smiled and grabbed her brothers' hand. Peter placed one hand on her hip and clasped his other hand with hers like their ballroom dancing teacher had taught them. When they were younger, their mother had signed all four of them up for the lessons to Peter and Edmund's dismay. But it seems as though the lessons had come in handy as not to long after they had landed in Narnia. Susan watched as Caspian and Aubrey spun around the dance floor happily, their faces smiling and their laughter echoing. Peter followed his sisters' gaze and smiled at the two of them. He always found his heart melting whenever he looked at Aubrey and could not understand why he had never seen it before. He then saw Susan staring at Caspian and once again his eyes turned weary. It had been hard during the Golden Age, watching both his sisters grow and mature. He never liked it when the boys started paying close attention to them. But it had been easier then because neither Susan nor Lucy seemed interested in the suitors. They were content just ruling beside their brothers. But, Peter recognized the look in her eyes. He saw it every time Aubrey looked at him and he knew that's how he looked every time he looked at her. It was love. Peter wasn't sure if he was ready to give up his little sister yet. But he sighed and knew he couldn't do anything against it.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Peter asked finally. Susan looked up at her brother and smiled at him.

"More than you could know," she said, looking back at Caspian.

"I think I know," he said, looking at Aubrey and smiling when her musical laugh reached his ears.

"I'm not . . ." Peter paused, thinking of the right words to say. Susan looked at her brother again. "I'm not, happy, per say, to let you go. And I know I can be a prat sometimes. But . . . I'm happy for you, and I hope everything works out." Susan smiled at him with tears shinning in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his waist like she used to do as a little girl and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Oh Peter, you're not losing me. I'm still here." She told him as the tears leaked from her eyes. "I don't ever want you to let me go. I'll be your little sister forever. But just because I love someone else, doesn't mean I don't love you." She hastily wiped the tears falling onto her chin. They were silent for a moment before Peter broke it with a chuckle.

"So you love him, huh?" Susan smiled.

"I think I do." She looked over at Caspian and smiled as he playfully twirled Aubrey around in a circle. And her heart swelled with joy.

* * *

"Peter, where are you taking me?" Aubrey chuckled as Peter pulled her hand and led her outside where the stars were shinning brightly. Aubrey looked to her right and saw Lucy dancing with some young Telmarine boy to some faun music. She decided to not mention this to Peter. The thought of one sister growing up was hard enough for him. Let him keep Lucy young just a little while longer. She turned her attention back to him and looked at their entwined hands. She could feel a tingling sensation from where his skin touched hers and she knew she would never get used to it. She loved the way being with Peter made her feel. She looked to the back of his head and wondered how she had never noticed what was between them before. She guessed that the feelings had always been there, they were both just too stubborn to realize them. Before long, they were swallowed by the trees as Peter led them into the forest.

"Where are we going?" she asked again, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. Peter stopped and turned to her, a smile on his face. He pulled on her arm so that she fell against his chest. Aubrey smiled mischievously at him before his lips crashed onto hers. The kiss was sweet but filled with so much more. It felt like Peter was pouring all of himself into that one kiss. Aubrey leaned against him more and pushed herself up on her toes so she could reach him better. She deepened the kiss and when they pulled away they were both gasping for air. With a dopey smile on her face, Peter turned around again and continued to lead her. Fully dazed, Aubrey just followed behind him, allowing him to pull her along. Before long, they reached a clearing of sorts. They were surrounded by thick trees but through the canopy were thousands of stars twinkling high up in the sky. Peter pulled Aubrey to the ground so that she was sitting next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she happily leaned against him. He placed a kiss on top of her head. They sat there for what felt like hours, just staring up at the stars and enjoying each others company. Aubrey shivered in the rare early June chill and Peter started to rub her arms, trying to warm her up. Aubrey sighed contentedly and started to play with their entwined fingers. Suddenly a star shot across the sky.

"A shooting star," Aubrey said, pointing to where it had been.

"Make a wish," Peter whispered in her ear. Aubrey shivered pleasantly and turned so she was looking into his beautiful green-blue eyes.

"I don't need to make a wish, it's already come true." She told him with a smile. Peter matched her smile and leaned down to kiss her again. They kissed hungrily, like all they needed was one another. Aubrey lay back on the grass so that Peter was hovering above her. She moaned as he began to trail kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. She wrapped her hands in his hair and closed her eyes, enjoying his touch. Just when she thought she was going to go crazy, Peter's mouth found hers once more. This kiss was so much more different than any they had ever shared. Aubrey's hands found the base of his shirt and she slipped them under the soft fabric. She could feel his bare skin under her soft fingers. Peter moaned into her mouth and she smiled against him. She rubbed her hands against his stomach and was happy when she felt him shiver. If he was going to drive her mad, she was going to do the same with him. Peter cupped her face with one hand and gently rubbed her cheek, he used his other hand to hold himself balanced above her.

"You're evil, you know that," he said in between breaths once they pulled apart.

"As are you," she said, closing the space between them and pulling him closer to her. He took the hand cupping her cheek and moved it to her side. He rubbed his hand up and down the fabric on her dress causing her breath to hitch. She moved her hands from his chest to his back and began to claw softly at him. They pulled apart and Peter continued to stroke her side. She looked into his eyes and saw what he wanted. She nodded her head yes and began to pull the shirt over his head. Peter helped her and soon he was sitting on top of her, shirtless. Aubrey traced the line of his well defined muscles. She looked up at him and smiled. He then reached down and began to untie the sash at her waist. She gathered her skirts around her body and he helped lift the lavender dress over her head. They sat there in their private clearing, staring at one another. Aubrey dressed only in her chemise and Peter in his trousers. Once again, they began to kiss. This time more gently, but the passion was still there. Aubrey was now sitting up so she was even with Peter. She placed her hands on his chest loving the way his skin felt beneath her fingers. She felt Peter's hand slide up under her chemise and rest on her stomach. He stopped suddenly and looked into her eyes. She knew what he felt under his palm, her scar from the White Witch. He looked at her with sad eyes and she cupped his face in her hands.

"It still scares me at how close I was to loosing you that day," he whispered to her, like saying it any louder would cause her to disappear from his arms. Aubrey leaned over and grabbed his lips in a kiss, reassuring him that she was here and wasn't going anywhere. She placed her hand on his leg and felt something hard in his pocket. She looked at him curiously and he smiled at her.

"I had wanted to do it differently but you always seem to distract me." Aubrey chuckled and kissed him again. He sighed and ran his hands through her now loose hair.

"I love you," he whispered. Aubrey looked at him and then smiled.

"And I love you," she whispered back. She placed her forehead against his.

"I know this may seem crazy since we have only been together for a short time, but I have known you forever and you're my best friend and the love of my life and I don't ever want to loose you, and I just love you so, so much and I was blind not to see it before but a part of me thinks I have always felt this way I'm just so darn stubborn all of the time and I think about how much more time we could have had together but I wouldn't change it for the world because you are my best friend and I love you . . ." Aubrey stopped his rant with another soft kiss. When they pulled apart, she chuckled.

"Peter, I love you too." She said, looking deep into his eyes. "And you are my best friend and the love of my life. You won't ever lose me, ever." She said and he chuckled. "But I was blind before too, not just you. Were both just stubborn." He laughed and kissed her. It was these small kisses that Aubrey loved the best. They are so full of love and passion and need and they made her love him even more than she already did, which she thought impossible since she loved him quite a bit.

"Well I imagined this much more differently. We were dressed, and surrounded by flowers, but anyway," Aubrey smiled at him, he was just so adorable. He reached next to him and she thought he was trying to re-dress himself when he pulled something small from his pocket. Aubrey's eyes bulged.

"As I said, I love you and I don't want to lose you, not only to death or anything else just as horrible, but to someone else. I know this may seem rushed but I am confident, one hundred and twenty percent sure that you are it, the girl for me and I'm not going to be stupid and over look it. So, will you marry me?" Aubrey stared at him and the small diamond ring he held in his hand. She could feel the tears springing to her eyes and she couldn't speak.

Peter was sure that he had just scared her. She would never want to see him again. He was stupid, he should have just waited longer. They had just said I love you to one another, proposing was not a good idea. He looked at the tears in her eyes and his heart fell. Any moment she was going to recover from her shock and tell him the words he didn't want to hear.

"Yes." She finally managed to squeak out, a smile slowly forming on her face. She felt like she was going to burst with all the love she felt towards Peter right now.

"Ok, I understand. I don't know what I was thinking." Aubrey looked at him confused and then grabbed his face between her hands. She pulled his face to her own and kissed him, trying to convey all that she was feeling at the moment. When he pulled away, he saw the big smile on her face, the tears in her eyes. Could they be tears of happiness? Wait did she say yes?

"Yes?" he asked her in disbelief.

"Yes!" She said, still smiling and shaking her head up and down to show him that she mean it. "A million times, yes!" Peter smiled and pulled her to him.

"Yes!" Aubrey was laughing now at how ridiculous they sounded. Peter's lips crashed down to hers and he cupped her face in his hands. She smiled against his mouth and once again began to run her hands along his chest. They pulled away, still smiling and laughing and Peter slipped the ring on her finger. It was a tasteful sized diamond, a simple round cut set on a platinum band. Aubrey couldn't stop staring at it. It was so beautiful and just what she would want. It wasn't flashy or gaudy and heavy on her finger. It was perfect. Peter was perfect. And this moment was perfect. When they calmed down, they both lay back on the grass, once more staring up at the stars. Aubrey rested her head on Peter's bare chest as he calmly played with her hair.

"How about October?" Aubrey asked quietly. She was tracing small circles on Peter's skin.

"October?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. Cair should be finished by then. We can get married there, maybe in the apple orchards. They would be lovely for a fall wedding." Peter smiled at her.

"Whatever you want," he told her. She leaned up on her elbow and looked him in the eyes. Smiling, she leaned down and kissed him.

"I love you." She whispered.

"And I love you." He whispered back.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: OoooooK. I am soooooo very sorry! Please don't hate me. I told you I'd update in two weeks and I really don't want to say how long its truly been. Buuuuut! This chapter is nice and long for you guys and filled with so much fluffiness you might explode. Haha. But I really hope you guys liked this chapter because I loooooooved writing it. I especially love Peter and Aubrey. They are by far my favorite couple. Sorry Suspian. **

**I really want to thank FF .netfanHANNAH for the wonderful reviews you left me. They really were the best I have ever gotten and really kicked my bottom into gear and finishing this next chapter. Thanks!**

**I'm not going to give any promises for the next one. I don't want to let my fans down again. But I'm in the process of finishing work and trying to pack to head back to college. Maybe I'll be able to write this weekend and next week but I guess only time will tell. **

**Anyways, please review and give me some feedback. I really love hearing from my readers! Thanks for sticking around! =)**


	14. Chapter 14

The month of June passed quickly after the night of Caspian's party. Susan and Lucy's squeals of happiness could be heard echoing through the halls of the castle when Aubrey told them of hers and Peter's engagement. A team of workers was sent the following morning to the castle of Cair Paravel, reconstruction was to begin immediately so that everything would be ready for a late October wedding.

It was a warm August afternoon that Susan was walking through the halls of the castle, Talitha at her side. The two were chatting amiably about some town gossip.

"And then Susa said the poor girls husband grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and tossed him from the house," she was saying. Susan chuckled at her story.

"Poor girl, but serves her right. I can't imagine how the other bloke is feeling, seeing the woman he loves wrapped up in the arms of another man." Talitha nodded her head in agreement. The two continued down the corridor in silence.

"Tali," Susan called gently. "I've been thinking,"

"That's never a good sign," the young maid joked. Susan nudged her with her shoulder.

"Really," the Queen insisted. "I've been thinking about Cair. I want you to come with us when we move there, and not just as a castle maid. I'd love to have you as my maid servant." Susan said the last part quietly. She felt weird asking this girl to be her personal servant, it made her feel . . . wrong. Talitha's eyes were swimming with unshed tears. She turned to Susan and wrapped her into a bone crushing hug.

"I would love to!" she said happily. "To be a Queen's maid servant is a very high honor and my family will be proud. Don't think any less of yourself, because I know you are," she regarded Susan with a stern look, causing the young Queen to smile. They stopped in front of the doors to the kitchens.

"I must leave you here Susan. I promised Cook I'd help prepare dinner." The two girls embraced in a friendly hug.

"Tell Susa hello for me and that I must push back tea by an hour. Lucy, Aubrey and I are going to town to look over some flower arrangements for the wedding." Tali nodded her head, and with a final smile slipped through the large mahogany doors of the kitchen.

Susan continued her walk through the halls. Thanks to Talitha and her friend Susa, Susan was able to better maneuver herself around the many halls. She passed servants and Lords, all of whom she nodded her head too. She entered the hallway leading to her room and decided to grab the book she had been reading the night before. Maybe she would sit on the garden wall and read until dinner. She was walking down the hall once more, this time with her book in hand, when she stumbled across an open door. Peering inside, she saw Caspian once again sitting in Alida's room. With a small sigh, she gently pushed open the large door.

"We must stop meeting like this," she whispered quietly and chuckled when Caspian jumped.

"Hello Susan," he muttered quietly.

"If you would like to be alone I don't mind . . ." she gestured to the open door behind her.

"No, no please. You don't have to leave." He patted the side of the bed he was sitting on. "Actually I'd enjoy some company." Susan nodded and settled herself in the spot next to Caspian.

"What brings you down this end of the hallway?" he asked after a few moments of silence. Susan held up the book that was gently resting in her lap.

"I found this book in the library a few days ago and thought I'd head to the garden and read. This was the quickest way there." Caspian smiled.

"I see you are becoming better acquainted with the castle."

"With the help of Tali and Susa of course." She said with a smile. Caspian nodded his head.

"Not that I mind, but why are you hear again?" Susan asked gently. She was worried for him.

"It's her birthday." He whispered. Susan nodded her head silently and reached for his hand. Their fingers laced and Susan smiled, thinking about how perfect his hand felt in her own. They sat there in silence, Susan not knowing what to say and Caspian not much in a talking mood.

"I miss her." Caspian said after what felt like hours of silence. Susan squeezed his hand in a comforting manner.

"I wish there was something I could say or do to cheer you up," Susan said. "I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I don't. I can't even, no, I don't even want to imagine how I would feel if it was one of my siblings. I'm sorry, that was very insensitive of me." Caspian chuckled.

"Not insensitive, just honest." He told her with a smile, one that Susan felt was contagious for she could feel herself smiling. Caspian stared into her crystal blue eyes. They were so like the sea, and how he could just get lost in them. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned in and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Quickly his mind snapped back to reality and he pulled away. He looked down at the ground in shame, missing the look of bliss on Susan's face.

"I'm so sorry. I never shoul . . ." But before he could finish, Susan leaned forward and kissed him. She had wanted to do it for ages but had been too afraid. She didn't know if right now was the best time but something in her gut was telling her to go for it. She smiled against his lips when she felt him kiss back. After what felt like days, they pulled apart. Susan couldn't cover up the goofy smile on her face even if she wanted to.

"Wow." Caspian whispered.

"Wow." Susan agreed. They stared at each other, goofy smiles reflected on their faces.

"I didn't know . . . " Caspian began.

" . . . That you felt that way." Susan finished for him. They smiled. They sat in the room until the sun began to set, neither saying a word, just basking in the bliss that surrounded them.

* * *

Just before dinner, more screams could be heard echoing around the halls. Lucy and Aubrey jumped around Susan's room in joy after she told them of hers and Caspian's kiss. Peter looked up with a questioning look. Shrugging his shoulders he returned to the letter he was reading. He looked up again when he heard a soft knock on his door.

Caspian stood in the hallway outside of Peter's door, wringing his hands nervously. It was no secret how protective the light haired King was of his siblings, especially his sisters. Caspian was not looking forward to the young mans reaction but knew he was doing the right thing.

"Enter," Peter called from somewhere in his room. With a deep, steadying breath Caspian pushed open the door. He found Peter sitting at the desk located just below his window, a letter in hand.

"Evening, Caspian." Peter said when he saw who was at the door. Caspian nodded his head. Peter chuckled at how nervous the poor bloke looked.

"Would you like to sit?" he asked, gesturing to a chair off to the right.

_Not when standing gives me a better chance to run, _Caspian thought to himself, but took the seat Peter was gesturing to. The two men stared at one another for a moment.

"So what do I owe this pleasure?" Peter asked.

"I want to court your sister," Caspian said quickly, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Certainly not Lucy, I hope," Peter said with a small smile. Caspian stared at him open-mouthed.

"N-n-no, what?" Caspian asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

Peter chuckled. "Let's just make this short, it's not really a conversation I want to have, but you have my permission." A smile slowly formed on Caspian's face as Peter's words sunk in. Caspian stood up and enveloped the younger man in a hug. Peter laughed.

"What do you say we head down to dinner?" Peter asked. Caspian nodded in agreement.

"And besides, Susan would kill me if I said no," Peter said as they walked down the hall.

* * *

The rest of August passed with not much incident. Caspian and Susan could be seen walking through town or around the castle, hand in hand. And when they thought no one was looking, they stole small kisses from one another. Before long, the milder September air settled around the castle. Aubrey and Peter were sitting on one of the low garden walls, watching people mill about.

"Have I told you how proud of you I am?" Aubrey asked, kissing Peter's cheek.

"What for this time?" he said with a cheeky smile. Aubrey nudged him gently with her shoulder.

"For being . . . well, for not being you, regarding Susan and Caspian." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. Peter kissed her lips.

"Well it's not like I could have stopped them," he said seriously. "I don't want to lose her but it's either this or . . ." Aubrey nodded her head. Susan never would have forgiven him had he said no.

"You're not losing her, Pete." Peter smiled.

"That's what she told me the night of Caspian's party."

"You still have Lucy." Aubrey offered.

"Yeah, but for how long?" Peter asked. Aubrey saw sadness flash through his eyes.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about her for a while." She said with a smile.

* * *

Before anyone realized, September had faded into October. As planned, the reconstruction of Cair Paravel was finished within the first week. The Telmarine castle was buzzing with the packing for the move that was to take place at the end of the week. Once again, Caspian was in Alida's room. Susan watched as he gently folded her things and packed her belongings.

"Are you sure this is wise?" he asked her. Susan nodded her head. "But what if she comes back and finds us gone and all of her stuff missing."

"She's a smart girl. She'll know we've gone to Cair." Caspian nodded his head and continued packing.

The move from the Telmarine castle to Cair Paravel was a long one. It was at least a four days ride, but with the whole town following, it took at least an extra two days.

Lucy fell back onto her new bed with a sigh. Cair Paravel had been her favorite place in Narnia. She finally felt like she was home. She sat up and looked around her bright room. The sun was falling through the wide doors that led to her personal balcony. Her eyes scanned over the soft pine furniture. Her four poster bed, the dresser in the corner and the vanity mirror next to the bed. It was much nicer to look at than the hard and dark mahogany from the Telmarine castle. It was good to be home.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry again (I feel like I say that a lot) for the long wait. It's just . . . school is such a nightmare this semester. I literally have no time for anything. I apologize for any mistakes, grammar or otherwise, in this chapter. I kinda just typed it and didn't read over it. I just wanted to get it posted before I (once again) ran out of time. So I just beg you, please don't hate me. **

**I also want to thank everyone for the reviews I've gotten, they really do keep it going. So I'm going to be that annoying author that begs for reviews. I just want to know how I'm doing and if you guys are liking what I'm writing. **

**So to sum this up, I don't know when I'll get another chance to update. It may not be until I start Christmas break later in December. I'll I have to say is I'm thankful for lazy Sunday's and a break in homework and projects, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to write this chapter. **

**So please Read and Review! I really appreciate it! =). Oh! And thanks for sticking with me and this story.  
**


	15. Chapter 15

Alida followed the curious looking man through the many halls of his castle. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the walls. They were covered in many things that she had never seen before. She could feel her mouth agape in awe. The old man stopped in front of a plain wooden door and Ali nearly slammed into his back. She watched as he pulled an iron key from his pocket and stuck it into the lock. She heard the click and followed him into the room.

Alida looked around and gasped when she noticed the paintings on the walls. She recognized the lands of Narnia, and even in one painting was the metal post where the Kings and Queens of Old had first entered Narnia. Ali walked around the tiny room, taking in all of its wonders.

"Please, my dear, take a seat." The old man gestured to a small wooden chair across from the wooden desk. He, himself, settled on the other side, just across from her.

"This is just so amazing," he said, staring at her intently. Ali smiled at the kind old man. She didn't understand why, but she felt safe with him, like he was her grandfather.

"I'm sorry sir," she said politely. "By where exactly am I?" The old man smiled kindly at her.

"You are at my estate in the back country of England." Ali stared at him curiously.

"England? Is that in Narnia?" She asked. The old mans eyes lit up.

"Not in the land of Narnia, my darling. I am sorry to say you are a ways away from your home." Ali nodded her head. She knew she would be. But she thought she would end up in the same place as her people, as her mother. Aslan works in mysterious ways, she thought to herself.

"Oh dear me," the old man chuckled. "I have forgotten my manners. My name is Professor Digory Kirke." He held out his hand to shake. Alida stared at it curiously. What was she supposed to do with it? The old man chuckled once again and placed his hand back on his desk.

"Well I see Lucy's greeting has not stuck." Ali sat up straighter in her seat. Lucy? Surely not Queen Lucy the Valiant.

"I'm sorry sir, but did you say Lucy. As in Queen Lucy the Valiant?" Ali could see the wonder shinning in Professor Kirke's eyes.

"To you she is Queen Lucy, I have known her as Lucy Pevensie." Ali was sitting on the edge of her seat.

"So you know all of the Pevensie's then?"

"Oh yes. Back before the entered Narnia the first time, they stayed here."

"This is where they entered into Narnia?" Alida looked around the room once again, looking for some kind of magical mist or a mysterious door that led back to her home. Mr. Kirke smiled sadly at her.

"Yes, through the wardrobe in one of the upstairs rooms. But I am sad to say that things don't happen the same way twice. When they returned to my house, try as the might, they could not return through the wardrobe." Ali listened to his story wondrously. The Kings and Queens of old had actually lived here. When she closed her eyes she could hear Lucy's peals of laughter echoing through the walls, she could feel Susan's light, graceful steps through the floors and she smiled as she imagined the arguments between Peter and Edmund. It was like a bit of them was left in this house and being here connected her with them.

Professor Kirke watched the mysterious girl sitting across from him. So many questions were whirring through his mind. How had she come to be here, what was her purpose, who was she . . . as he thought this last one, he mentally slapped himself.

"I apologize for being so blunt, but who are you?" Alida opened her eyes to the man's soft voice. She sat up straighter in her chair, like her parents taught her when she was a little girl.

"I am Princess Alida of Narnia." She told Mr. Kirke everything, from the Telmarines invasion of Narnia, of the long standing line of Caspian's to take the throne. How Caspian X, her cousin, had grown up as an orphan after his father was killed and of her parents overshadowing of herself in favor of a son. She told him about the return of the Kings and Queens of Old, she watched as his eyes shone once more at this part in her tale. She told him of the failed battle on the castle, and of their victory at Beruna. Finally, with tears in her eyes, she told him of the mysterious tree and how she found herself in his garden.

Professor Kirke listened intently to her story. He couldn't blame the young girl for wanting to get away. But she was so young, she had to be no older than twelve. He felt his heart melt listening to her tale. He stood up and crossed his desk to reach her side. He knelt down so that he was on the same eye level as her and pulled her into a strong hug. Alida burst into tears at the old mans kindness. He held her and let her cry until her tears dried up. When her sobs stopped, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and let the young girl dry her tears. He resumed his seat behind his desk and laid his elbows upon the smooth wooden surface. He placed his chin in his hands and stared at the young girl in front of him.

"We must come up with a story. To explain who you are and why you are here." He added when he saw her confused look. They sat there in silence for a little longer until Professor Kirke looked at Ali with a bright smile.

"You are Alida D'Andrea, my great-granddaughter, visiting for the summer. I daresay I've always wanted a granddaughter."

"Can I call you Grandpa Kirke?" Alida asked with a smile.

"Indeed you must. Now," Professor Kirke said, clapping his hands and rising from his seat. "What do you say we go upstairs and see what sort of clothes we can find you. As beautiful as they are, I don't think these dresses are appropriate."

Alida collected her skirts into her hands. She had to admit that he was right, she would definitely stick out if she dressed like this. She followed her Grandpa Kirke through the halls once again, still admiring the many artifacts adorning his walls. The reached another door, this one in a dark mahogany color. Mr. Kirke pushed it open and they walked into a small room with two beds pushed up against either wall. At the foot of the beds were two different trunks. Mr. Kirke crossed the room to the one on the far wall and began to rummage around in it contents. Alida crossed the room to the large window. She looked out and had a beautiful view of the gardens she had entered from and beyond it were beautiful rolling green hills. They were beautiful but not as beautiful as those found in Narnia. Alida felt a pang in her heart and wondered for the first time if she had made the right decision.

"I'm not sure what size you are, but these used to belong to Susan and Lucy. I'm sure one will fit you." On the beds he had laid out two outfits. One was a dress, shorter and plainer than the one she was wearing and a skirt, also shorter than what she was used to, and a plain white shirt. "I'll have Mrs. Macready ready a room for you."

"If it's alright with you, sir, I'd like to stay in this room."

"If you're sure," Alida nodded her head. "Yes then. Why don't you get changed and settled. Dinner will be ready by five. The kitchen is located on the bottom floor." With a nod, the Professor left the room.

Alida listened to the gentle click of the door and sat down upon the bed. The materials in her hand felt scratchy and nothing like the smooth fabrics she was used to. She chose the bed right under the window, and when she sat up on her knees she could see the garden below. She changed into her new clothes and settled herself upon her new bed. She laid her arms on the windowsill and placed her head in her arms. There was no doubt about it, she missed Narnia, the pang in her chest told her that. She wanted adventure and to break away from what she had grown up in, but she wondered to herself if she was really ready. She missed Caspian terribly but she tried not to think about it, it only made her hurt more. She decided sitting there, mulling over her feelings was not going to make her feel better. She got off her bed and walked out into the hallway. If she wanted to feel welcome in this strange place, there was only one way to do it.

* * *

The days slowly passed and before she realized it, Alida had been living with the Professor for five months. The story of her being his great granddaughter went over really well and no one questioned them. The Professor, or Grandpa Kirke, taught Ali all about his world. She had even made friends with some of the children from town. They were often found exploring the large grounds that made up Grandpa Kirke's estate.

Ali was sitting in the second floor library, reading one of the many books, when she heard the library door open.

"Hello m'dear," she heard the soft voice of Grandpa Kirke call. Before long his grizzled mop of gray hair was visible through the shelves. "Ah, what a great book," he said when he reached her seat next to the window. "A favorite of young Edmund." Ali smiled at the man. She had really grown fond of him in the past months. He was like the father she always wanted. "Your friends are here," he said with a gentle smile. He was so very proud with the way she had adjusted to his world. "They're waiting for you in the foyer." Ali bookmarked her page and placed the book in her now vacated seat. On her way out she kissed Grandpa Kirke on the cheek. As she swept through the room, she missed the smile of pure joy that came across the Professor as he watched the young girl leave.

"Emmy!" Alida called happily as she met her friends in the foyer. She rushed to the girl and enveloped her into a hug. She then turned to the tall boy standing next to her. "Holden!" she said, just as happily, enveloping him in a hug. Emery, or as Alida liked to call her, Emmy, was a girl the same age as Ali. She had light blonde hair and honey colored eyes. She had an adventurous streak to her which is why she and Alida got along. She was also just a bit mischievous, always playing jokes on her older brother. Holden was Emery's older brother by a year. He also had light blonde hair but his eyes were more hazel in color. He was always very quiet and very protective of his little sister.

"Hiya Ali!" Emmy said once she was released. "Let's go down to the river today." Without waiting for a response she grabbed Ali's free hand and started dragging her outside as Ali giggled. Holden followed silently behind the girls. When they reached the river's edge, Holden sat down on a fallen log as the girls rushed to the water.

"Careful now," he called over to them, shading his eyes from the bright sunlight. Ali and Emmy pulled off their socks and shoes and plunged into the water. They danced around and splashed each other. Before they knew it, the sun had begun to set. Ali and Emmy walked tiredly out of the water and settled themselves on the ground next to Holden. The three sat there in companionable silence. As the stars began to peak out Holden suggested they return home. Seeing Emmy asleep on the ground next to him, he scooped her up into his arms. Ali smiled up at him, her thoughts immediately going to Caspian. She often wondered how he was handling things in Narnia and how the other Pevensie's were doing. She missed Lucy, over the month they had been together the girl had become her best friend and sister. She missed Peter, Aubrey and Susan. She of course missed Caspian, so much that it hurt to think about, and she missed Edmund. She and the Just King hadn't spoken much, but still their friendship was there. He had been the first to comfort her after her fathers' death and at the Great Tree as her mother left her for a different world. The young King had always intrigued her, even when she was a little girl and Caspian's tutor was telling them stories of the Golden Age. She wished she had more time to get to know him, and the others as well.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Ali looked up at Holden and blushed. She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts she had forgotten he was there.

"I was just thinking about my, uh, brother, Caspian." She told him quietly.

"Caspian, that's a curious name."

"Our parents like the ocean," she told him in an offhand voice. She could never explain the truth to him.

"Why is he not here with you?" Holden asked her with sad eyes.

"Well," Alida racked her brains for a story. She and Grandpa Kirke had never discussed what she would say if asked about her family. "He's just started seeing this girl, you see, and he didn't want to be separated from her. I also told him I wanted to go on this adventure by myself. I needed some time away." She told him. It wasn't a lie per say, just a half truth. She just left out the part that she was from another world, no big deal, right?

"I'm surprised he would let you go by yourself, I don't think I would be comfortable letting Emmy do that," he said, looking at his sleeping sister in his arms. "But at least he knew you would be safe with family."

"Yeah," Alida said offhand. She wished there was some way to let Caspian know she was okay. But she didn't think the post man Grandpa Kirke told her about would be able to deliver a letter to Narnia.

* * *

**A/N: Soooo . . . I'm sorry? I know how pathetic it sounds but I was sooooo super busy these past couple of weeks. On the plus side I'm now off from school until January 18th so I can promise you more chapters. =D. **

**Thanks to everyone (or anyone) who is still reading and reviewing this story. You guys are the ones that keep me going! **

**I know you guys were probably hoping for the wedding in this chapter, but I wanted to show you guys what Alida is up to in her strange world and how she is adjusting and such. Let me know what you guys thought. If you liked this maybe I'll add some more here and there, just to see how she is and what she is up to. **

**So please Read & Review! =).  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Please don't kill me! (Dodges pitchforks being thrown at me). I know I know. It's been . . . well . . . a while since I last updated. But as I've said before, even though it may take a while, I will never abandon this story. It's like, my baby. Well maybe not my baby since I tend to neglect it from time to time, but . . . you all catch my drift!**

**I haven't updated in so long because I'm finishing up my second to last semester in college. ( I know, scary!). I am an education major and this entire semester I have been in the field teaching second grade. (And I absolutely love it! =D). But with teaching, also comes the dreaded lesson plans. And unless your a teacher or learning to be a teacher, you don't realize how much time and effort go into creating a plan. A lot. I can tell you that. Any down time I have is spent in my bed, just relaxing. But huzzah! All my core lessons were due today and I turned them in and am once again free! (Woo-hoo! Does a stupid party dance). And as a treat . . . I am uploading the next chapter! =D.**

**This is the long awaited chapter, I know all of you have been looking forward to it. I'm sorry if it's not up to par but, honestly, I don't have a lot of experience with weddings so I did my best. The emotion is there though!**

**Okay well I finish teaching at my school after next week so I will try to post sometime before then. If not it'll have to wait until after finals and summer begins. (Yes I still have finals even though I'm in a school teaching. UGH!)**

**So sorry for the long note, but I felt it was necessary so you all don't kill me too much. =P. Okay so read on and enjoy! Oh, and please review. =).**

* * *

Aubrey woke up with a smile on her face. The sun was shinning brightly, hanging fully in the sky. The warm October breeze rolled in through her open window, tickling her face. She lay in bed, thinking. Sometimes she still couldn't believe this was her life. Sometimes, though she would never tell Peter, she would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, expecting to see the light yellow walls of her bedroom at the Pevensies' house. She felt a chill run through her at the memories of her nightmares. It wasn't that she didn't like her previous life in England, it held some bad memories but there were also good ones mixed in, but Narnia had been such a big part of her life. She had grown up here and when they had left for the first time, she had been devastated. But here they were once again, and this time Aubrey had no intention of leaving.

With a content sigh, Aubrey threw the plush lavender bed sheets from her body. As she stood to stretch, there was a light knock on her bedroom door.

"Enter." She called. The door opened to reveal her handmaid, Susa, who had a warm smile on her face.

"Morning Miss," she said brightly, excited for the day ahead. In her hands she held a slender, ivory box. She placed the box on the stool in front of Aubrey's vanity and then disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of running water reached Aubrey's ears as she crossed the room to peer inside the box. She pushed the lid off and ran her fingers through the soft, silky fabric of the white dress.

"Miss Elsa just finished putting on the final touches this morning, ma'am," Susa said as she walked out of the bathroom, rolling the sleeves of her plain blue dress down.

Aubrey nodded her head, too mesmerized by the beauty of the dress before her.

"Let's get you cleaned up, then we can see how the dress fits," she said with a wink, ushering Aubrey into the bathroom.

As Aubrey was stepping out of her bath, there was another swift knock on the door.

"I have it, milady. Just dry yourself off and wait for me." Susa quickly rushed to the door. "Good morning, Your Majesties."

"Hello Susa," Susan said with an air of elegance. Both she and Lucy stood in the doorway, both clad in yellow dresses as deep as a sunset. Lucy ran into the room and wrapped Aubrey into a hug. She giggled as she dug her face deep into Aubrey's robe. Aubrey chuckled at the young girl.

"Now we get to be real sisters!" Lucy said excitedly once she let go.

"Don't be silly Lu, we've always been real sisters, all three of us," Susan said as she came forward to embrace Aubrey. "Now it's just going to be official," she finished with a wink.

Susan looked beautiful with her dark, chestnut brown hair delicately curled into little ringlets. One side was pulled back and a sunflower was placed behind her ear. Lucy also looked radiant. The golden color of her dress really brought out the specks of gold in her hazel eyes and made her golden hair shine. Her hair was also curled, but looked wavy and was half pulled back and out of her face. Aubrey smiled happily at her sisters.

"If your Majesties don't mind," Susa spoke up from behind them. That was something Aubrey really liked and admired about her young handmaid, she was never afraid to speak her mind, even in the presence of the Kings and Queens. "We must get Lady Aubrey ready. We don't want her to be late to her own wedding."

Aubrey was whisked away in a whirl of color and sound. She found it hard focusing on one thing. There was Susa, helping her into her dress and making the needed alterations, a pin sticking from her mouth. At the same time, Susan was above her, pulling her hair every which way, trying to find the perfect style. And then there was Lucy. Lucy was skipping around the room with glee, exclaiming how happy she was and what a magical day it would be. Aubrey smiled at the young girl. Before she knew it, both Susan and Susa stepped back, looking at the product of their hard work. Aubrey ran her hands down the silky fabric of her skirts, she would have to thank Elsa personally for such a lovely dress.

"You look beautiful!" Lucy gushed. Susan and Susa both smiled and nodded their heads. Aubrey could see the tears in their eyes.

"Thank you," Aubrey whispered quietly. "And thank you so much for everything. I don't know what I would have done without you." She could feel tears of her own stinging her eyes.

* * *

Peter stood at the end of the makeshift aisle in the apple orchard, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet. From next to him, Edmund rolled his eyes.

"Stop worrying Pete," he said exasperatedly, a smile tugging on his lips.

"What if she doesn't show? What if I forget my vows? What if …"

"What if I cut your tongue out?" Peter covered his mouth as Edmund chuckled. "No I wouldn't do that," he said as Peter visibly relaxed. "Aubrey would kill me for spoiling her wedding day." Peter glared at his younger brother. Suddenly, Lucy appeared in front of them.

"She's ready Ed." She told him, and then she looked at Peter. "Don't worry Pete, everything is going to be great. She looks beautiful by the way," she said with a grin. Peter smiled at his youngest sister.

"Ok that's my cue," Edmund said as he left his brothers side. He followed Lucy down the aisle and back into the castle where he saw Susan and Aubrey waiting for him.

Peter stood nervously in his spot. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He knew Aubrey would be there, she was always there, and she loved him as much as he loved her. Wasn't it the bride that was supposed to get cold feet, not the groom? Peter thought irritatingly.

A light, beautiful tune filled the air as the fawns started playing. Peter took a deep breath and looked down the aisle. First came Lucy. Peter smiled at his youngest sister. Her bubbly attitude could be seen in her every step. There was a smile so big on her face that Peter thought it just might break and it was so contagious that he felt every bad feeling and nervous thought leave his body. Leading Lucy down the aisle was Tamir, the son of a good friend of Caspian's. Peter didn't like the way the young boy was staring at the youngest Queen but resided himself to think nothing of it for now.

Next down the aisle was Susan. She looked so beautiful and graceful as she walked with Caspian on her arm. Peter smiled at the two of them. He was sad to be letting his little sister go, but she was a grown woman now and could handle herself. He was confident that Caspian would do all in his power to make Susan happy. Peter vaguely wondered when he would be seeing the two of them walk down the aisle.

The music changed and the guests turned to the back. At the end of the aisle Aubrey stood with Edmund on her arm. Peter felt his jaw drop slightly. She looked beautiful, well more than beautiful, he thought. She smiled timidly at him as she and Edmund started down the aisle. It felt like forever to Peter when she finally reached him. By now, her smile had grown. It grew with every step closer she took towards him. Her smile was so big, in fact, that it could have rivaled Lucy's. When they reached him, Edmund placed a brotherly kiss on her cheek and placed her hand into Peter's outstretched one.

"Dear all, we have been brought here today …" Peter and Aubrey tuned out the words of the ceremony. The only thing that mattered was each other. They stared in one another's eyes.

"You look beautiful," Peter said quietly, only loud enough for her to hear. He brought her hands up to his lips and placed a delicate kiss on them. Aubrey blushed slightly. After so long, Peter still had the ability to make her turn to mush and the butterflies in her stomach to released from their cages. She vaguely wondered if she had the same effect on him.

"You're not too bad yourself," she replied cheekily as her smile grew ever larger.

Edmund tapped Peter lightly on the arm. His hand was outstretched and in it was the delicate golden band that would bind Peter to Aubrey for the rest of their lives. Peter took the ring into his own hands and held it above her finger.

"Aubrey, you are my whole life," he began. "I love you with every fiber of my being and plus some. You are my best friend, you have always been my best friend, I've always loved you, I realize that now. I was just too thick before to have realized just how much. I stand here before you to ask, no beg you to accept me and love me, for as long as we both live." Peter slipped the ring onto her finger and saw the tears dancing in her eyes.

"I always swore I wouldn't be this emotional at my own wedding," Aubrey said with a chuckle. She turned around to take the golden band from Susan's outstretched hand. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Okay, here I go." She looked into Peter's eyes.

"Peter, I love you so much. So much that it even surprises me because I never thought someone could love another person this much. You have always been there for me, through heart ache and pain and through the good times as well. I want you to always be there with me. I can not picture my life without you by my side. That's how it has always been and that's how it is going to stay." She slipped the ring on his finger and brushed a few tears away. She looked into his eyes and saw tears swimming in them.

"With the grace of Aslan, I pronounce you husband and wife."

All the guests clapped as Peter leaned down and captured Aubrey's lips in a kiss.

"Long live King Peter! Long live Queen Aubrey!" They all chanted as one.

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**A/N: (I know, again.) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Tell me what you think. I'm really excited to be moving past the wedding. I still have some big plans in store for this story. (Laughs manically. Sorry, it really has been a LONG semester.) Remember . . . please review! =D.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I know. This is not long at all. But please don't smite me. I have the next chapter written out. It just needs to be transferred onto my laptop and have an ending put to it. And let's just say . . . I am much much much happier with my next chapter. It's like my old writing is back. Things are so much better when I write at my own pace and I'm not stressed because of classes and exams. So anyway, here is just a mini chapter into the lives of Susan and Caspian. I hope you enjoy. The next chapter will be out before the weekend. =). **

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The weeks following the wedding were complete bliss for Peter and Aubrey. They newly married couple could always be found with one another and their smiles were so contagious that everyone around them couldn't help but be filled with glee. Even Caspian, who had been so down after Alida left could be found cracking a smile or two. Susan also helped alleviate some of his pain and worry.

"Aslan brought us back, did he not?" she asked him one cool evening at the end of October. The two were sitting on the balcony outside Caspian's room. His room faced the east and the ocean. The sweet air tingled with the salty smell of the ocean and the waves crashing ashore could be heard, despite their great height. Susan found it all to be very relaxing. The breeze picked up, sending a small shiver through Susan's body. Without hesitation, Caspian wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you chilly?" he asked with concern. Susan snuggled closer to him and smiled.

"Not anymore."

The two sat there for most of the night, for once surrounded by peace and calm, something they both had been missing in their lives for some time.

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**Please Review! I love hearing from you all! =D.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So, so, so, so much happier with this chapter. I feel like my old self again, just letting the story write itself. Not me forcing a chapter out. I know this is still slightly short, but hey, I'm a work in progress. =P. I love Lucy's character. She's just so cheery and playful and mischievous and so much fun to write. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Read on!**

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Lucy stared dejectedly out of the castle windows. It was pouring outside. Normally she loved the rain, the sweet, musky smell of the air, the light pitter patter on the roof and ground. She especially loved the feel of the droplets running through her hair, soaking everything it touched. But today she was not happy. Her older siblings and Caspian, whom she counted as just another older brother, would not allow her outside.

"It's to cold, Lu." Susan had said.

"We don't want you to catch a cold," Caspian added, wrapping his arm around Susan's waist.

"Besides, the Archenland King, Queen and Prince will be arriving soon for dinner." Peter added. He and Aubrey had just returned from their week long honeymoon up in the mountains.

"Yeah and what good would a muddy Queen be?" Edmund snickered. Lucy stuck her tongue out at him and turned on her heel, marching angrily down the hallway. She heard a smack, followed by an echo of "Ow," and couldn't stop the smile forming on her face. In her minds eye, she could see Edmund standing there with a mock glare directed at Aubrey as he rubbed the area she had just hit while Aubrey smirked at her new brother-in-law. She thanked Aslan that someone was able to keep Edmund in line.

So now she found herself staring longingly out the window. How she wished she could just run down to the beach and feel the wet sand squish through her toes. With a devilish gleam in her eyes, Lucy quietly left her chambers and snuck through the hallways. A few times she had to hide behind a tapestry or duck into an alcove so as not to be seen.

Before long, she reached the kitchens. Thankfully and by some miracle they were empty. Thanks to Yanira, a kitchen-maid friend of hers, she knew where the servants entrance to the kitchens were located. She used this to sneak outside.

As soon as she felt the first drop of water hit her head, Lucy began to smile. Quickly, she took off down the familiar path to the beach. She found it hard to believe that a few short months ago, she and her siblings had stumbled upon their ruined castle. She glanced behind her and took in the renovations they had done. It looked the same, yet was so very different. She thought briefly on the friends that had been left behind. Her eyes welled with tears from her memories of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and especially of Mr. Tumnus. She turned back towards the beach. She wasn't ready to face her memories, not yet at least.

Before long the trees thinned and revealed to her the dark tan of the wet beach. Lucy could see the water a ways down and noticed how choppy and gray and downright angry it looked. She felt that it was all very poetic. She remembered from the Golden Age sitting by her window and writing about the sea. She used to love to write, something she realized she had forgotten during her year back in Finchley. It was something that always fascinated her here in Narnia. The many wonders and adventures she believed it held. Of all the things that could talk, she wished the ocean was one of them.

Lucy took off her socks and shoes and placed them in a pile at the end of the path where the grass met the sand. She gathered her skirts in her hands and joyously ran towards the water. She could feel herself becoming soaked as the rain poured down all around her. She stopped at the waters edge to let the waves crash over her bare feet. She shivered as she felt the chill of the water wash through her body from her feet up.

"If Your Majesty isn't careful, the sea may swallow you up."

Startled, Lucy spun around. Through the rain in her eyes, she could make out a figure walking towards her. Not recognizing their silhouette, she fingered the dagger, a gift from Father Christmas during her first time in Narnia, strapped to her side. As the figure approached, Lucy relaxed. She recognized him now as Tamir, the sea captains son. He had escorted her to Peter and Aubrey's wedding last month and his father was a good friend of Caspian.

"We have a special bond, the sea and I," she responded with a friendly smile. "It can harm me no more than I can harm it." Tamir chuckled at her wise and brave words.

"I have heard tales of Narnia's strongest men not making safe journey across an angry sea." He said as he approached Lucy.

"Yes, but they are merely tales, are they not?"

"I suppose you should be right." The sound of his chuckling warmed Lucy so much, that the cold sea no longer bothered her. "May I ask what Your Majesty is doing outside in such cold and frightful weather as this?" Tamir asked as he finally reached the youngest Queen's side.

"Cold? A little. Frightful? Never. This weather is beautiful. It's almost like a dance, powerful and graceful all in one. The sea and the wind, each fighting to lead. There is nothing more wonderful than a storm." Lucy's eyes were twinkling merrily, like stars missing from the nighttime sky.

"If it's not to bold, Your Majesty, I think you are a little crazy," he said with an endearing smile.

"That is not to bold, for I must say I agree," she said with a wink. "And it's Lucy." The sea captains son looked at her, bewildered.

"My name, it's Lucy. I prefer that to Your Majesty when I'm amongst friends," she clarified.

"Friends?" Tamir questioned, still confused. It wasn't everyday that one with his status was friends with a Queen.

"At least I hope we are," Lucy responded, biting on her bottom lip nervously.

"Of course," Tamir said with a smile. "I would love nothing more Your Maj-," at the warning look from Lucy, he stopped himself and smiled sheepishly. "Lucy." Her name tasted like sweet honey on his lips. "Lucy," he repeated to himself, under his breath.

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**A/N: So I hope you all enjoyed this one. I certainly had a great time writing it! =). I'm not sure when the next one will be posted but . . . it will be soon. I promise. I have a lot of time to write this summer and I'm just so excited to get to some of my later chapters, but first there are some things I need to cover. Aaaannnnyyyywaaaayyyyy . . . Please review. I hate to beg but the keep me going. They keep that fire under my bum lit. =P. Soooo . . . REVIEW! =D.**


	19. Chapter 19

Much to Lucy's displeasure, the rainy weather quickly turned freezing, coating Narnia in a layer of frost. The skies became darker and grayer, threatening to open and cover them all with snow. The weather was a mixed feeling for all. Susan, Peter and Aubrey absolutely loved the snow and the cold weather. Aubrey loved the idea of snowball fights and ice skating, Susan loved the cold weather and the chance to sit in front of the fire, enjoying a good book or the company of her siblings and friends. Peter loved the cold, he was a bit of a baby when it came to the summer months, often locking himself in his bedchambers, refusing to move. Edmund and Caspian hated the snow and cold. They much preferred feeling their toes. And Lucy, well Lucy was mixed. She loved the snow and all the fun they could have with it, but the winter time reminded her so much of their first time to Narnia and the perpetual winter. But most of all, she hated how still everything became. The once alive lands lay quiet, the trees and animals often hibernating.

It was on a cold, cloudy day in the beginning of December when the first snow began to fall. Susan preferred to watch the beautiful sight from the safety and warmth of the library, Caspian at her side. The two of them were wrapped up together in a blanket. Edmund pulled his covers over his head, preferring to pretend that the snow wasn't there, maybe when he opened his eyes it would be summer once more. Peter and Aubrey were in the kitchens, blissfully unaware of the chill surrounding them as they sipped on hot chocolates and murmured to one another.

Lucy was walking through the forest as the snow began to fall. She lifted her head to the sky and let the snowflakes land on her face. She walked further, deeper into the forest glancing around her at the many unmoving trees. A slight chill ran through her body and she had to remind herself that they were just sleeping and would return when the lands thawed.

"Sleep, my friends." She whispered quietly, placing her hand gently on the trunk of a tall maple.

Looking up at the sky, she decided to turn around. The clouds were thick and dark gray, and Lucy knew from experience that meant a heavy snowfall. As the trees began to thin, the snow on the ground became deeper and deeper.

"Your siblings are worried sick, you know," a strong voice called out. Lucy smiled, she would recognize that voice anywhere. Tamir appeared from behind a rather large maple. Lucy looked at the bundle in his hands. "Something about getting lost in the storm and freezing to death." When he reached her side, he unwrapped his bundle, revealing a blanket. He draped it over her shoulders and offered her his arm. "I told them it was more likely you were getting lost in your head." Lucy chuckled and swatted at his arm playfully.

They walked back to the castle in companionable silence. Over the past few months Tamir had become one of her closest friends. He was always there when she needed someone to talk to and was always willing to accompany her on whatever crazy adventure she decided to get herself into. She had begun to feel less alone now that she had a friend.

The snow was beginning to pile up as they reached the castle. Lucy brushed the white flecks from her hair and shivered.

"Care for some hot chocolate?" she asked. Tamir smiled. This time Lucy offered him her arm, causing Tamir to chuckle.

"You are a strange one indeed, Lucy." She stuck her tongue out at him and pulled him towards the kitchens.

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In mid-December, the castle quietly celebrated Lucy's twelfth birthday. They had a small gathering of her family and friends and toasted to the health of the youngest Queen and Lucy couldn't have been happier.

As December ebbed away into January, the snow did not stop. Each morning the inhabitants of the castle awoke to find the castle grounds covered in white fluff. Edmund continued to hibernate within his room. Being so grumpy, his sisters and brother were more than happy to leave him be. After much pushing and pulling, Susan was able to convince Caspian to come out into the cold with her and the others for a snowball fight.

Lucy's giggles cut through the open air as Aubrey chased her around, a snowball in her hand.

"Rey! Stay away!" she shouted to the older girl. Aubrey plastered an innocent look on her face.

"What is the matter Lucy?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice, advancing on the younger girl. Peter chuckled from the safety of his fort, watching his wife and sister.

"Rey, no." Lucy backed up, trying to put as much distance between her sister-in-law and herself.

"I just want to talk Lucy," she said with the same voice. Lucy turned, ready to duck behind the nearest tree when suddenly she was hit in the head with a snowball. She spun around to look at Aubrey and found the girl roaring with laughter, her snowball still in her hand. Lucy looked around, trying to find her attacker. Peter was still hiding in his fort, trying not to be seen by his wife. Susan and Caspian were by the frozen lake, the former trying to teach the latter how to ice skate. While looking for her attacker, another snowball hit the young Queen, this time in the shoulder. Lucy looked to where she had thought the snowball had come from and saw a mop of dark hair trying to disappear behind a boulder.

With a wicked smile, Lucy gathered her own ball of snow. Quietly creeping through the trees, she made her way towards the boulder and her attacker. Making as much noise as a field mouse, Lucy snuck up behind the young man. She could see him peering around the boulder, looking for her. Without warning, she lobbed her snowball towards him where it landed smack dab on his head. He turned around with a surprised look on his face that caused Lucy to break down with laughter. Tamir smiled wickedly as he grabbed another handful of snow, unbeknownst to Lucy.

Catching her breath, Lucy saw him taking aim. Before he could throw it at her, Lucy lunged forward, knocking herself into Tamir which sent the two of them tumbling down the small hill. They landed in a laughing heap at the base of Peter's fort, the side of which had been knocked down into a pile that Aubrey was sitting triumphantly on. Peter was soaked from head to toe in snow.

"I won." Aubrey said with a smile, causing Peter to pout. Lucy and Tamir doubled over with laughter once again. Aubrey kissed Peter on the tip of the nose, 'for being such a good sport', she claimed.

As the sun began to set, Peter, Aubrey, Lucy and Tamir headed inside. Each one thoroughly wet and tired from the day. Susan and Caspian said they would catch up later and headed towards the forest for a walk. Susan snuggled up next to Caspian to keep the chill out. They walked in silence for some time before Caspian decided to break it.

"Marry me."

"What," Susan asked, not quite sure she had heard him correctly. Caspian let out a breath and tried again.

"Marry me." Susan stared at him, at a loss for words. Caspian could feel his heart slowly falling. He was crazy, he knew that, but he had known Susan was the one since he first laid eyes on her. He needed her to know. "Susan, I love you. I know this sounds crazy but I just feel like it's right and…" Susan silenced his rambling with a kiss. When they broke apart, she looked into his eyes.

"I love you too," she said firmly. "Yes, I will marry you." Caspian smiled and captured her lips with him. Susan giggled against his lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently spun her around. Caspian pulled a beautiful ring from his pocket.

"I found this in one of my parents chambers in our old castle. It belonged to my mother. I want you to have it." As he slid the ring onto her finger, Susan felt tears of happiness prickling behind her eyes.

"Peter is going to go crazy," she said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. She couldn't stop staring at the ring.

"Actually, Peter already knows." Caspian said sheepishly. Susan jerked her head up to look in his eyes. "I asked him a few weeks ago, right after Lucy's birthday." Susan smiled at him. He had asked for Peter's permission and she thought that was the sweetest thing.

"So Peter knows…" Susan began.

"…Which means that Aubrey knows and knowing her, she can't keep a secret like this so I'm sure she told Lucy." Caspian finished. Susan chuckled.

Hand-in-hand they walked back to the castle where their family awaited.

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**A/N: It's been almost a year. I'd be surprised if anyone is still reading this. But for those who are, thanks. I really appreciate you sticking with me. It's been a rough year but I am determined to get back to my writing, I've missed it terribly. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, if anyone is still there. =P.**


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